A tow truck driver in Florida faces felony charges after surveillance cameras captured him driving away with a four-year-old child trapped inside the vehicle he was towing, ignoring her screaming father’s desperate pleas to stop.
Story Snapshot
- Sergio Suarez, 34, arrested for child neglect after towing car with 4-year-old still inside
- Father chased tow truck through parking lot screaming that his daughter was in the vehicle
- Child fell from moving car into roadway after opening door during tow
- Judge called case particularly shocking, questioning defense claims of proper vehicle inspection
- Incident highlights dangerous gap between aggressive towing practices and basic safety protocols
When Professional Negligence Becomes Criminal
The incident unfolded at a Sunrise, Florida shopping plaza when a father briefly entered a restaurant, leaving his daughter in their blue car. Within minutes, a private tow truck arrived and began hooking up the vehicle. What happened next transformed a routine towing operation into a criminal case that has stunned local authorities.
Surveillance footage captured the father bursting from the restaurant and sprinting toward the departing tow truck, frantically waving his arms and shouting warnings about his child. The video shows Suarez continuing to drive despite these obvious distress signals, pulling the car with its young passenger toward busy traffic lanes.
A Child’s Terrifying Escape
As the tow truck gained speed, the four-year-old managed to open the car door and fell into the roadway. Her father immediately ran into traffic to rescue her, while Suarez continued driving. Police reports indicate the child sustained injuries but avoided great bodily harm, a distinction that influenced the specific felony charge filed against the driver.
When Sunrise Police contacted the towing company and ordered the vehicle returned, Suarez allegedly dropped it away from officers and attempted to leave the scene again. This behavior further convinced investigators that his actions constituted willful neglect rather than an honest mistake.
Defense Claims Don’t Add Up
Suarez’s attorney maintains that a coworker inspected the vehicle three times before the tow began. However, Judge Corey Friedman expressed deep skepticism during the bond hearing, pointing out the logical flaw in this defense. The judge noted that any reasonable inspection would have revealed a four-year-old child, especially one visible enough to later open a door and exit.
The prosecution’s case rests on two key failures: Suarez’s alleged failure to properly inspect the vehicle before towing, and his decision to continue driving after being explicitly warned about the child’s presence. Legal experts familiar with child endangerment cases recognize this as a textbook example of creating foreseeable and substantial risk to a minor.
Broader Implications for Industry Standards
This case exposes serious gaps in private towing operations across Florida. While property owners contract with towing companies to remove unauthorized vehicles, the incident raises questions about whether adequate safety protocols exist to prevent similar tragedies. The combination of aggressive enforcement tactics and insufficient oversight created conditions where a child’s life was endangered over a parking violation.
The criminal charges against Suarez represent an important precedent. Prosecutors are applying child neglect statutes beyond traditional caregiver relationships, holding any professional accountable when their conduct creates clear danger to children. This expansion of legal responsibility could influence how service industries approach safety training and risk management protocols moving forward.
