Topline: Authorities said a 4-year-old girl was inside a car when it was towed from outside a Sunrise restaurant and fell out of the moving vehicle moments later.
Published: December 18, 2025 8:24 am ET
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Sergio Suarez (via Broward Sheriff's Office)
SUNRISE, FL — A routine stop outside a Sunrise restaurant turned into a frightening scene when a tow truck driver allegedly hauled away a car without realizing — or stopping after being told — that a 4-year-old girl was still inside, according to police and court records.
The incident happened outside Bistro Creole Restaurant in a strip mall along West Oakland Park Boulevard, where the child’s father had parked his car and gone inside briefly, according to the Sunrise Police Department and reporting from WPLG.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows a tow truck backing up to the sedan as the father rushes outside and approaches the driver’s side window, NBC Miami reported.
Witnesses told police the father banged on the window and repeatedly shouted that his daughter was still in the car. “His kid in there!” one witness can be heard yelling in video obtained by NBC Miami. Despite those warnings, authorities said the tow truck driver continued driving.
Police identified the driver as Sergio Jesus Suarez, 34, of Hialeah, who works for All-Ways Towing, according to WPLG. Investigators allege Suarez towed the vehicle from what appeared to be a fire lane and exited the plaza while the child remained in the back seat.
As the tow truck moved onto the roadway, the girl managed to open the rear driver’s side door and fell out of the car, police said. According to the arrest report cited by WPLG, the child suffered superficial injuries.
“The father grabbed her out of traffic,” a witness told Local 10 News.
Court documents and testimony described the father running into the busy roadway, lifting his daughter from the middle of West Oakland Park Boulevard and carrying her to safety, according to WSVN. Authorities said Suarez did not immediately stop after the child fell from the vehicle.
Police contacted All-Ways Towing and asked that Suarez return to the scene, according to WPLG and WSVN. When he did come back, officers said he dropped the car away from the father and child and then attempted to leave again, prompting a traffic stop within the plaza.
Suarez was arrested and charged with one count of neglect of a child without great bodily harm, a felony. In the arrest report, Sunrise Police Officer Kyle Phillip wrote that Suarez’s “failure to inspect the vehicle prior to towing, combined with his decision to continue driving despite being alerted that a child was inside, created a foreseeable and substantial risk of serious bodily harm or death,” adding that his actions showed “reckless disregard for the safety of a minor,” according to WPLG.
In court, Broward County Judge Corey Friedman said Suarez towed the vehicle without checking whether anyone was inside. “There was a child in the vehicle who then had to jump out of the vehicle in the middle of the road,” the judge said, according to WSVN.
Suarez’s attorney disputed the allegations, offering a sharply different account of what happened. “He advised me that he checked the vehicle three times before he towed it, and there was no child,” the lawyer said in court. “He also had a partner, whom he calls a spotter. He had the spotter also look at the vehicle to make sure. So that is why he doesn’t know how it came about,” the attorney added, according to NBC Miami and WSVN.
The girl is expected to recover, authorities said, with WSVN reporting she suffered minor injuries to both arms and her right calf. Suarez’s bond was set at $10,000, NBC Miami reported, and he bonded out of jail Monday night.
The towing company has not responded to questions about the incident, according to WSVN.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Police: Tow Truck Driver Hauled Car Away With 4-Year-Old Still Inside
Authorities said a 4-year-old girl was inside a car when it was towed from outside a Sunrise restaurant and fell out of the moving vehicle moments later.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 18, 2025 8:24 am ET
Sergio Suarez (via Broward Sheriff's Office)
SUNRISE, FL — A routine stop outside a Sunrise restaurant turned into a frightening scene when a tow truck driver allegedly hauled away a car without realizing — or stopping after being told — that a 4-year-old girl was still inside, according to police and court records.
The incident happened outside Bistro Creole Restaurant in a strip mall along West Oakland Park Boulevard, where the child’s father had parked his car and gone inside briefly, according to the Sunrise Police Department and reporting from WPLG.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows a tow truck backing up to the sedan as the father rushes outside and approaches the driver’s side window, NBC Miami reported.
Witnesses told police the father banged on the window and repeatedly shouted that his daughter was still in the car. “His kid in there!” one witness can be heard yelling in video obtained by NBC Miami. Despite those warnings, authorities said the tow truck driver continued driving.
Police identified the driver as Sergio Jesus Suarez, 34, of Hialeah, who works for All-Ways Towing, according to WPLG. Investigators allege Suarez towed the vehicle from what appeared to be a fire lane and exited the plaza while the child remained in the back seat.
As the tow truck moved onto the roadway, the girl managed to open the rear driver’s side door and fell out of the car, police said. According to the arrest report cited by WPLG, the child suffered superficial injuries.
“The father grabbed her out of traffic,” a witness told Local 10 News.
Court documents and testimony described the father running into the busy roadway, lifting his daughter from the middle of West Oakland Park Boulevard and carrying her to safety, according to WSVN. Authorities said Suarez did not immediately stop after the child fell from the vehicle.
Police contacted All-Ways Towing and asked that Suarez return to the scene, according to WPLG and WSVN. When he did come back, officers said he dropped the car away from the father and child and then attempted to leave again, prompting a traffic stop within the plaza.
Suarez was arrested and charged with one count of neglect of a child without great bodily harm, a felony. In the arrest report, Sunrise Police Officer Kyle Phillip wrote that Suarez’s “failure to inspect the vehicle prior to towing, combined with his decision to continue driving despite being alerted that a child was inside, created a foreseeable and substantial risk of serious bodily harm or death,” adding that his actions showed “reckless disregard for the safety of a minor,” according to WPLG.
In court, Broward County Judge Corey Friedman said Suarez towed the vehicle without checking whether anyone was inside. “There was a child in the vehicle who then had to jump out of the vehicle in the middle of the road,” the judge said, according to WSVN.
Suarez’s attorney disputed the allegations, offering a sharply different account of what happened. “He advised me that he checked the vehicle three times before he towed it, and there was no child,” the lawyer said in court. “He also had a partner, whom he calls a spotter. He had the spotter also look at the vehicle to make sure. So that is why he doesn’t know how it came about,” the attorney added, according to NBC Miami and WSVN.
The girl is expected to recover, authorities said, with WSVN reporting she suffered minor injuries to both arms and her right calf. Suarez’s bond was set at $10,000, NBC Miami reported, and he bonded out of jail Monday night.
The towing company has not responded to questions about the incident, according to WSVN.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Latest Articles
Police: Tow Truck Driver Hauled Car Away With 4-Year-Old Still Inside
Authorities said a 4-year-old girl was inside a car when it was towed from outside a Sunrise restaurant and fell out of the moving vehicle moments later.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 18, 2025 8:24 am ET
Sergio Suarez (via Broward Sheriff's Office)
SUNRISE, FL — A routine stop outside a Sunrise restaurant turned into a frightening scene when a tow truck driver allegedly hauled away a car without realizing — or stopping after being told — that a 4-year-old girl was still inside, according to police and court records.
The incident happened outside Bistro Creole Restaurant in a strip mall along West Oakland Park Boulevard, where the child’s father had parked his car and gone inside briefly, according to the Sunrise Police Department and reporting from WPLG.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows a tow truck backing up to the sedan as the father rushes outside and approaches the driver’s side window, NBC Miami reported.
Witnesses told police the father banged on the window and repeatedly shouted that his daughter was still in the car. “His kid in there!” one witness can be heard yelling in video obtained by NBC Miami. Despite those warnings, authorities said the tow truck driver continued driving.
Police identified the driver as Sergio Jesus Suarez, 34, of Hialeah, who works for All-Ways Towing, according to WPLG. Investigators allege Suarez towed the vehicle from what appeared to be a fire lane and exited the plaza while the child remained in the back seat.
As the tow truck moved onto the roadway, the girl managed to open the rear driver’s side door and fell out of the car, police said. According to the arrest report cited by WPLG, the child suffered superficial injuries.
“The father grabbed her out of traffic,” a witness told Local 10 News.
Court documents and testimony described the father running into the busy roadway, lifting his daughter from the middle of West Oakland Park Boulevard and carrying her to safety, according to WSVN. Authorities said Suarez did not immediately stop after the child fell from the vehicle.
Police contacted All-Ways Towing and asked that Suarez return to the scene, according to WPLG and WSVN. When he did come back, officers said he dropped the car away from the father and child and then attempted to leave again, prompting a traffic stop within the plaza.
Suarez was arrested and charged with one count of neglect of a child without great bodily harm, a felony. In the arrest report, Sunrise Police Officer Kyle Phillip wrote that Suarez’s “failure to inspect the vehicle prior to towing, combined with his decision to continue driving despite being alerted that a child was inside, created a foreseeable and substantial risk of serious bodily harm or death,” adding that his actions showed “reckless disregard for the safety of a minor,” according to WPLG.
In court, Broward County Judge Corey Friedman said Suarez towed the vehicle without checking whether anyone was inside. “There was a child in the vehicle who then had to jump out of the vehicle in the middle of the road,” the judge said, according to WSVN.
Suarez’s attorney disputed the allegations, offering a sharply different account of what happened. “He advised me that he checked the vehicle three times before he towed it, and there was no child,” the lawyer said in court. “He also had a partner, whom he calls a spotter. He had the spotter also look at the vehicle to make sure. So that is why he doesn’t know how it came about,” the attorney added, according to NBC Miami and WSVN.
The girl is expected to recover, authorities said, with WSVN reporting she suffered minor injuries to both arms and her right calf. Suarez’s bond was set at $10,000, NBC Miami reported, and he bonded out of jail Monday night.
The towing company has not responded to questions about the incident, according to WSVN.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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