(Arrest Image of Sergio Suarez December 14th, 2025 in Sunrise, Florida)
A tow truck driver in Sunrise, Florida, was arrested and is facing child neglect charges after authorities say he towed a car with a 4‑year‑old girl still inside on Sunday afternoon. Surveillance footage from outside the Bistro Creole Restaurant shows the moment the tow truck, operated by 34‑year‑old Sergio Suarez, hitched the family’s vehicle and began pulling it away as the child’s father chased after it, yelling that his daughter was inside.
According to the Sunrise Police Department, the father had parked briefly to pick up food when the tow truck arrived and began hooking up the car. Despite the father banging on the driver’s window and shouting that his child was still in the back seat, Suarez reportedly drove off, leading the father to pursue the truck on foot as the vehicle moved into the roadway.
During the incident, the young girl managed to open the rear door and fell out of the vehicle onto West Oakland Park Boulevard, where the father ran into traffic to pull her out of harm’s way. The child sustained minor injuries — described as superficial scrapes and bruises — and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Sunrise police contacted Suarez at the towing company’s request and asked him to return to the scene. Court records show that when he did, he initially dropped off the vehicle away from law enforcement and tried to leave again before being stopped and arrested. He was charged with child neglect without great bodily harm, a third‑degree felony, and later released on $10,000 bond.
In court, Suarez’s attorney claimed that he and a colleague checked the vehicle before towing it and saw no one inside, though police and video evidence suggest otherwise. The towing company, All‑Ways Towing, declined to comment on the Sunrise, Florida incident.
The alarming episode has drawn attention to the importance of safety checks before towing and has prompted local discussion about tow truck protocols after a child was nearly seriously harmed in what authorities have described as a reckless act.
