Photo: ABC / EyewitnessNews
A 39-year-old man is in police custody as a person of interest in the death of a 3-year-old girl who died after burning alive in a locked, chained car parked in Queens.
The incident occurred on Sunday night, with first responders arriving at the scene after several calls about a suspicious vehicle stopped in the middle of the boulevard. When they got there, the vehicle, an Audi A6 sedan, was already on fire and 2 people were inside: a 3-year-old girl in the backseat and the driver.
All efforts to free the girl were in vain because the doors had been locked and chained shut, the New York Post reports. Firefighters were only able to get the toddler out when the heat melted one of the door handles, allowing them access inside.
When they managed to get the back door opened, the driver door also opened and the driver came out running. He was on fire and he jumped into a nearby pond to put out the flames. Police arrested him after fishing him out of the water, and he was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns on his face and body. The toddler was also rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive.
“He was on a stretcher. He’s burned,” an eyewitness tells the Post. “He looked white. So burned. With a mask on his face.”
Firefighters found 2 propane canisters at the scene of the incident: one in the backseat of the car and one right outside the car. In other words, chances that this was an accident are slim to none. One theory they’re working on is that this was the result of a custody dispute.
As of the time of writing, no charges have been brought against the father but he is in custody, where he’s being interrogated.
All efforts to free the girl were in vain because the doors had been locked and chained shut, the New York Post reports. Firefighters were only able to get the toddler out when the heat melted one of the door handles, allowing them access inside.
When they managed to get the back door opened, the driver door also opened and the driver came out running. He was on fire and he jumped into a nearby pond to put out the flames. Police arrested him after fishing him out of the water, and he was hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns on his face and body. The toddler was also rushed to the hospital but didn’t survive.
“He was on a stretcher. He’s burned,” an eyewitness tells the Post. “He looked white. So burned. With a mask on his face.”
Firefighters found 2 propane canisters at the scene of the incident: one in the backseat of the car and one right outside the car. In other words, chances that this was an accident are slim to none. One theory they’re working on is that this was the result of a custody dispute.
As of the time of writing, no charges have been brought against the father but he is in custody, where he’s being interrogated.
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