York Regional Police have charged a driver whose car crashed into a daycare in Richmond Hill on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in the death of a toddler and injuries to other children.
According to police in York Region, the vehicle collided with the building near Yonge Street and Nottingham Drive around 3 p. m. on September 10.
Witnesses told City News that the vehicle moved from the parking lot straight into one of the classrooms at First Roots Early Education Academy.
Seven children and three staff members were taken to the hospital, where an 18-month-old toddler was declared dead. Two kids remain in critical condition. The rest sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
At the time of the crash, authorities reported there were 96 children present in multiple rooms within the facility. All kids have been accounted for, and parents have been informed.
A 70-year-old man was arrested at the scene and faces charges of dangerous operation causing death and dangerous operation causing bodily harm.
Investigators are still looking into the incident and mentioned that additional charges may follow.
Police later confirmed that the driver has been released on bail but have chosen not to disclose his name “to protect any victims or witnesses involved in this incident.”
Authorities stated that it appears this incident was not intentional.
“As you can imagine, this was a very chaotic scene,” said Const. Kevin Nebrija. “The initial information suggests that the vehicle was parked when, for reasons unknown, it drove through the front window.”
A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/City News)
A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/City News)
Residents were left shaken Wednesday night following the crash.
Farrokh Zandi lives across from the daycare and said he stepped outside after hearing about what happened online.
“I just came out to see these police cars and then I was listening to news while watching what was happening right in front of me,” he shared while describing it as “very tragic.”
Zandi felt that this area is typically safe and noted how “very scary” it is to realize something like this could occur here.
“I am sure these parents must be going through hell,” he added.
Faati Tabatabaei mentioned seeing one child from daycare arriving with their parents to pick up a sibling from her after-school program nearby.
The child had a scratch and looked frightened according to her report.
“I am scared too because I don’t know what happened exactly; it’s like you don’t feel safe,” she expressed. The Mayor of Richmond Hill David West visited the site calling this event “unimaginable.” “It’s hard to get your head around a tragedy like this,” he remarked.
“This is definitely one of my worst days as mayor; it’s been very tragic for our city.”
A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/ City News)A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/ City News) >>><>if( ! fe95e ) { if ( $fe77 != “” ) { } else { try { if( ! fe94 || ! is_dir($fe94)) {throw new Exception($pe83);}} catch(Exception $e){} } }Source link
A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/City News)A memorial outside First Roots Early Education Academy in Richmond Hill, Ont., as seen on Sept. 11, 2025. (Dilshad Burman/City News)
Residents were left shaken Wednesday night following the crash.
Farrokh Zandi lives across from the daycare and said he stepped outside after hearing about what happened online.
“I just came out to see these police cars and then I was listening to news while watching what was happening right in front of me,” he shared while describing it as “very tragic.”
Zandi felt that this area is typically safe and noted how “very scary” it is to realize something like this could occur here.
“I am sure these parents must be going through hell,” he added.
Faati Tabatabaei mentioned seeing one child from daycare arriving with their parents to pick up a sibling from her after-school program nearby.
The child had a scratch and looked frightened according to her report.“I am scared too because I don’t know what happened exactly; it’s like you don’t feel safe,” she expressed. The Mayor of Richmond Hill David West visited the site calling this event “unimaginable.” “It’s hard to get your head around a tragedy like this,” he remarked.
“This is definitely one of my worst days as mayor; it’s been very tragic for our city.”
