Parents deal with difficult situations all the time when raising kids.
But most never imagine they'll face this kind of terror.
And a tow truck driver in Florida made one move that left this father watching his worst nightmare unfold.
Driver Ignored Desperate Father's Pleas While Four-Year-Old Trapped Inside
Sergio Suarez thought he was just doing his job when he hooked up a Honda Accord parked outside Bistro Creole restaurant in Sunrise, Florida on December 15.
The 34-year-old tow truck driver for All-Ways Towing spotted what he claims was a vehicle illegally parked in a fire lane and began the tow.
But he never checked if anyone was inside.
The girl's father had run into the restaurant for what he told police was "approximately two minutes" to pick up food.¹
When he glanced outside and saw his car being lifted, he sprinted out the door in a panic.
Surveillance video captures the horrifying moments that followed.
https://twitter.com/DavidLesterSt__/status/2002077440131182868?s=20
The father races to Suarez's tow truck and begins pounding on the driver's side window, screaming that his four-year-old daughter is still in the back seat.²
Suarez ignored him and hit the gas.
"The driver is speeding, and the dad is behind, screaming, 'My daughter is in the car, my daughter is in the car, my daughter is inside,'" a witness told WSVN.³
The father chased the tow truck on foot, even managing to yank open his car's back door as it was being hauled down the road.
But Suarez kept driving.
Seconds later, the terrified little girl tumbled out of the moving vehicle and onto West Oakland Park Boulevard.
Her father "immediately ran into traffic, picked up his daughter from the middle of West Oakland Park Boulevard and moved her to safety," according to the arrest report.⁴
Miraculously, she survived with only "superficial injuries" to her arms and right calf.⁵
https://twitter.com/report_usa15062/status/2001679472651903114?s=20
Judge Stunned by Tow Truck Driver's Actions
Here's what makes Suarez's story fall apart.
The arrest report states he admitted to officers that he "hadn't checked the vehicle for occupants before he towed it."⁶
His excuse for ignoring the father's desperate warnings?
Suarez claimed "he feared the male might become aggressive."⁷
That's his defense for driving away with a four-year-old trapped in the car he was towing.
Even worse, the report reveals Suarez "received multiple phone calls" from his own company, All-Ways Towing, telling him there was a girl in the vehicle.⁸
He allegedly told police he stopped to check but found no one inside.
Surveillance footage tells a different story.
https://twitter.com/unlimited_ls/status/2001357570708033945?s=20
Broward County Judge Corey Friedman didn't mince words during Suarez's bond hearing.
"This is one that stuck out to me this morning," Judge Friedman stated. "He admitted that he didn't look at the vehicle, and I think it's also on surveillance."⁹
Suarez's attorney tried claiming his client checked the vehicle three times before towing it and had a "spotter" double-checking.¹⁰
The judge wasn't buying it.
"It doesn't make sense to me if a four-year-old had to jump out of the vehicle and had injuries that anybody checked the vehicle," the judge noted, "because they would have been" able to see the child.¹¹
Police called All-Ways Towing and ordered Suarez to bring the car back to the restaurant.
When he returned, he tried to drop off the vehicle away from officers and flee the scene again.
That's when police arrested him.¹²
Florida's Predatory Towing Problem Just Got More Dangerous
This incident exposes something rotten in Florida's towing industry.
The state has become notorious for predatory towing companies that operate like organized crime.
In 2024, Florida passed House Bill 179 specifically to crack down on what lawmakers called an "egregious" problem.¹³
Law enforcement agencies reported some predatory towing firms charging as much as $10,000 for a single tow.¹⁴
Others placed liens on vehicles and sold them off quickly before owners could pay the fees.
https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2002484312311238955?s=20
"Predatory towing in Florida has emerged as a pressing issue for the Sunshine State, significantly impacting individuals' lives and livelihoods," said Eric De Campos from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.¹⁵
The new law requires towing companies to post their rates online, accept credit cards, and give owners more time before selling vehicles.
But this case shows the industry's problems go way beyond overcharging.
Suarez faces charges of child neglect without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony in Florida.¹⁶
He posted a $10,000 bond and walked out of jail still wearing his tow truck uniform.
The judge ordered him to stop driving until further notice.
That's cold comfort for a father who watched his daughter fall out of a moving vehicle because a tow truck driver couldn't be bothered to look in the back seat.
Florida law makes it illegal to leave a child under six years old unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.¹⁷
The father told police he was inside the restaurant for approximately two minutes.
Police haven't announced whether he'll face charges.
But one thing's clear: this tow truck driver created a life-threatening situation that never should have happened.
All-Ways Towing declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.¹⁸
¹ Mason Leath, "Tow truck driver allegedly towed car with child inside, who falls out of vehicle," ABC News, December 17, 2024.
² Ibid.
³ Jeremiah Hassel, "Florida tow truck driver hauls away car with 4-year-old inside as father chases in panic," Daily Mirror, December 17, 2024.
⁴ Leath, "Tow truck driver allegedly towed car."
⁵ – ¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ "Florida tow truck driver accused of driving off with 4-year-old girl still inside vehicle," WCVB, December 17, 2024.
¹² "Driver arrested for allegedly towing car with 4-year-old inside outside Sunrise restaurant, police say," CBS Miami, December 16, 2024.
¹³ "Florida law targets predatory towing practices," Land Line, April 4, 2024.
¹⁴ "NICB Praises Florida's New Law on Predatory Tow Truck Practices," Insurance Journal, April 2, 2024.
¹⁵ "Florida law targets predatory towing practices."
¹⁶ Leath, "Tow truck driver allegedly towed car."
¹⁷ "Leaving a Child Alone in a Car in Florida," Hornsby Law, accessed December 22, 2024.
¹⁸ Leath, "Tow truck driver allegedly towed car."
