Tragic Incident at Richmond Hill Daycare

A toddler has lost their life and another child is in serious condition after a vehicle struck a daycare in Richmond Hill on Wednesday afternoon.

York Regional Police reported that five other children and three staff members were hurt in the accident, which took place near Yonge St. and Nottingham Dr. shortly after 3 p. m.

The injured children, all between one and three years old, were taken to a hospital, including an 18-month-old who died shortly afterward, according to police.

The second child remains in critical condition.

Authorities said the driver, a 70-year-old man, was arrested at the scene. They indicated that the crash was not “a deliberate act.”

“As you can imagine, this was a very chaotic scene,” Const. Kevin Nebrija said. “I can tell you that the initial information suggests the vehicle was in the parking lot at the time, and for reasons unknown, drove through the front of the window.

“We can appreciate that this is a very alarming call for parents to receive and to attend at the end of their day.”

He mentioned that all children had been accounted for and parents were informed.

A vehicle is towed away from First Roots Early Education Academy after it was driven through the daycare’s window in Richmond Hill, Ont., on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.

At the scene later in the evening, small blue and green chairs could be seen scattered around where a large front window had completely shattered. There were about a dozen police cars present in the parking lot.

As darkness began to settle in outside, fire trucks arrived and firefighters entered the building with tools. A drilling noise echoed through the area.

Firefighters assisted in removing a full-size Hyundai electric vehicle from inside onto a tow truck as dusk fell. The car showed minimal damage; its front license plate dangled awkwardly while glass fragments littered its hood.

Nebrija stated that there were 96 children present across multiple rooms when the crash occurred.

Our investigators are on scene collecting evidence to determine how far into building (the vehicle) went,” he explained.

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Neighbors were left shocked by what happened.

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Farrokh Zandi lives across from the daycare and mentioned he went outside after seeing news reports online about it happening.

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“I just came out to see these police cars and then I was listening to news while watching what was happening out front (of me),” he told The Canadian Press , adding it felt “very tragic.”

Zandi expressed concern for local safety stating it felt “very scary” witnessing such an event unfold nearby.

Faati Tabatabaei shared her experience of seeing one of those kids arrive with their parents looking for another sibling from an after-school program she works at.source link. jpg” alt=””>” />

The child appeared frightened with visible scratches on them; she commented saying:“I am scared too because I don’t know what happened exactly…”. 

Richmond Hill Mayor David West visited the crash site later and described the incident as “unimaginable”.

 Difficult times lie ahead — For families impacted by these events. . </em>>The mayor further emphasized: 

Crisis calls often arise from such tragedies..

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Please stay safe!

“All our thoughts are with those affected,” Mayor Stephane Boyer expressed regarding similar tragic events.”My thoughts are also on everyone involved here as we grieve together.” $(‘#current Year’). html(new Date(). get Full Year()); $(“ul. menu”). hide(); $(document). on(‘click’, ‘. menu-toggle’, function() { $(this). next(‘. sub-menu’). slide Toggle(); }); $(“[data-target=’#general’]”). remove Class(“active”); return false; $(“. date-link”). text(time) $(“#news. article-panel. panel-title”). click(function(e){ e. prevent Default(); var target = $(this). attr(“href”); $(“#news. content-wrapper div[data-id='” + target + “‘]”). toggle(); });Yonge St. has been closed between Gamble Rd and Brookside Rd due to ongoing investigation by police asking drivers avoid the area until further notice. – With files from The Canadian Press.

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