Could Tow Truck Driver Face Charges After Police Allege Vehicle Was Towed with 5-Year-Old Girl Inside?

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:News 4 San Antonio

News 4 San Antonio

The driver of a Texas tow truck company is under investigation after being accused of towing a car with a 5-year-old girl inside.

The driver is being investigated for possible child endangerment, San Antonio police say, according toKSAT,KENS 5and theSan Antonio Express-News. The driver is not named in the reports.

The investigation began on Monday, Sep. 1, when a car parked in an apartment complex in San Antonio, Texas, was towed away after the driver of the car briefly stepped out, police said, per the outlets.

The driver of the car — a 9-month pregnant woman whose 5-year-old was inside the car — told officers she left the car running with its emergency flashers on as she tried to contact a neighbor, the outlets reported, citing police.

She alleged to police the car was within her eyesight when the tow truck allegedly came and transferred her vehicle without first taking appropriate measures such as attaching chains to the car, the outlets reported.

A witness gave the woman a ride to follow the truck and dropped her at a location near where the car was towed, per the outlets. She then called 911 and was eventually reunited with her daughter at the company’s location.

LIVE ON THE SCENE: 5-year-old discovered in towed car

Trinity Towing, the company which employs the driver under investigation, was not immediately available for comment to PEOPLE.

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“The car was locked, with the ignition off, and there were no signs of anyone inside or around the vehicle,” the statement said, per KTSA. “We later learned a little girl was asleep on the floorboard when we first towed the vehicle and was not visible to the driver.”

Once they learned about the child inside, the driver got the child to unlock the door, the statement said, per KTSA, adding that the driver followed protocol but “the situation could have been much more serious.”

As of Thursday, San Antonio police did not release further information. According to the state’spenal code, actions that put a child under the age of 15 “in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment” can be categorized as child endangerment.

San Antonio police did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for further information.

source: people.com