A Florida tow truck driver who was briefly viewed as stepping into a routine enforcement situation is now at the center of a deeply disturbing case involving a terrified father, a stolen moment of judgment, and a four-year-old child trapped inside a moving vehicle.
On December 14, tow truck driver Sergio Suarez was hauling away a car parked in a fire lane outside Bistro Creole Restaurant in Sunrise when, authorities say, he failed to notice a young girl still inside the vehicle. Surveillance footage shows the child’s father inside the restaurant at the time, waiting for food. He later told police he was gone for no more than two minutes before he saw the tow truck pull up and begin taking his car.
A Florida tow truck driver, Sergio Suarez, 34, was arrested on Sunday, December 14, 2025, after allegedly towing a car with a 4-year-old girl still inside it from outside the Bistro Creole Restaurant in Sunrise, Florida.
Surveillance video shows the girl’s father, who had… pic.twitter.com/eGPbKcme4f
— Bonnie Straight (David’s Legacy) (@DavidLesterSt__) December 19, 2025
Realizing his daughter was still in the back seat, the father rushed outside in panic. Video shows him running toward the truck, pounding on the driver’s window, and frantically trying to alert Suarez that his four-year-old child was inside. Instead of stopping, police say Suarez ignored the man’s desperate pleas.
According to an arrest report obtained by investigators, Suarez later claimed he did not stop because he believed the father “might become aggressive.” Rather than checking the vehicle or contacting authorities, Suarez allegedly pulled away with the child still inside, leaving the father to chase after the truck on foot.
“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 local WSVN Miami. The scene unfolded in full view of bystanders, who later described the moment as chaotic and horrifying.
Authorities say the Florida child remained trapped in the vehicle as it was driven away from the restaurant. The situation escalated quickly, prompting calls to police. The situation turned even more dire moments later. When it became clear the tow truck was not stopping, the father told police he saw his daughter fall out of the vehicle and into the Florida roadway. Some witnesses reported the child may have jumped from the car in a desperate attempt to escape the terrifying ordeal.
The Florida arrest report states that the father immediately ran into traffic, grabbed his daughter from the middle of the busy road, and carried her to safety. The child was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for scrapes and bruises.
A Florida tow truck driver is facing a charge after towing a vehicle with a four-year-old girl inside. Sergio Suarez towed the vehicle which was parked in a fire lane outside a Sunrise restaurant. He was apparently unaware that the owner’s four-year-old daughter was inside. The pic.twitter.com/s1Lu78I2Wm
— N’ Cuffs (@NCuffs1) December 22, 2025
Even after the child fell from the vehicle, officers said Suarez continued driving away with the car still attached to his truck. It was only after police contacted All-Ways Towing & Storage that the situation was halted. Authorities instructed the company to order Suarez to return the vehicle to the restaurant.
Police say Suarez attempted to quietly drop off the car and leave the area, but Florida officers were waiting and quickly arrested him. During questioning, Suarez allegedly admitted that he failed to check the vehicle for passengers before towing it. Investigators also say Suarez disclosed that he received multiple phone calls from his company alerting him that someone was inside the car.
The attorney for the Florida tow truck driver told the judge that Suarez checked the vehicle “three times” and believed there was no child present. Prosecutors, however, argue that surveillance footage, witness accounts, and the father’s actions tell a far different story about the crime.
The child’s father has not been charged, though police noted that leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, even briefly, is dangerous. Suarez now faces serious criminal charges as the case moves forward, while a family is left grappling with the trauma of a moment that could have ended in tragedy.
