The incident unfolded when a child’s father briefly parked his car in front of a restaurant, stepping inside for just about two minutes. During this incredibly short window, the tow truck driver, identified as Sergio Suarez, reportedly hooked up the vehicle and began towing it away. Unbelievably, it seems Sergio Suarez was completely unaware there was a little girl sitting in the back seat. This is the kind of oversight that sends shivers down your spine.
Surveillance video captured the heart-stopping moment the father realized his car was being hauled off. He reportedly sprinted into the street, pure panic driving him. The car, it turns out, had been parked in a fire zone – a designated no-parking area, which is why the tow company targeted it.
Imagine the terror: the father chasing the truck, yelling that his daughter was still inside. Amidst the chaos, the 4-year-old girl actually opened the car door and fell out of the moving vehicle. Police reports state the father heroically ran into traffic to pull her to safety.
Thankfully, and by some miracle, the child did not suffer serious injuries. A collective sigh of relief for that, for real.
Driver Arrested and Charged With Child Neglect
Police eventually tracked down the tow-truck driver and arrested him on a felony charge of child neglect without great bodily harm. This is a serious charge, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Authorities detailed that once they realized a child had been in the car, they contacted the towing company, demanding Suarez return the vehicle to the scene. But it gets worse: “He dropped the vehicle away from officers and attempted to leave the scene again,” police explained in their official report.
Suarez’s attorney, however, has a different take, claiming his client wasn’t acting recklessly. The attorney argues that a coworker reportedly checked the car three times before it was towed. This incident is a stark reminder to always double-check, especially when children are involved.
