By: Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press
RICHMOND HILL — A young child was left dead after an SUV smashed through the window of a daycare north of Toronto shortly before pickup time on Wednesday afternoon.
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York Regional Police said the boy was just 1 1/2 years old. Six other children ranging in age from 18 months to three years old were also injured in the crash and brought to hospital. One was still in critical condition hours later.
Police told a news conference that three staff members were also hurt at the daycare near Yonge Street and Nottingham Drive in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Const. Kevin Nebrija said a driver in his 70s was arrested at the scene and police do not believe it was a deliberate act.
“As you can imagine, this was a very chaotic scene. 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,” he said.
“We can appreciate that this is a very alarming call for parents to receive and to attend at the end of their day.”
He said all children had been accounted for and parents were been notified.
At the scene in the early evening, small blue and green chairs could be seen past the jagged edges of a completely shattered front window. About a dozen police cruisers were in the parking lot.
Nebrija said at the time of the crash, there were 96 children present in more than one room in the building.
“Our investigators are on scene collecting the evidence, going through the sequence of events, to determine exactly how far into the building it (the vehicle) went,” he said.
Neighbours were left reeling in the aftermath.
Farrokh Zandi, who lives across from the daycare, said he went outside after seeing the news of what happened on his computer.
“I just came out to see these police cars and then I was listening to the news while I was watching what was happening out in front (of me),” he said, adding it was “very tragic.”
Zandi said he thinks of the area as safe, and it was “very scary” to see that something like this could happen.
“I am sure these parents are must be going through hell,” he added.
York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said in a post online that “no family should have to deal with a tragedy like this.”
MacSween said police will “continue to investigate this incident and provide support to the victims and to the responding officers.”
Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra said in a sperate post that he was “deeply concerned by the tragic incident” and that his thoughts were with everyone impacted.
Yonge Street was closed between Gamble Road to Brookside Road, and motorists were being asked to avoid the area during the police investigation.
Police said parents picking up their children from the daycare were being asked to enter through the north side of the building on Thornbush Court.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.
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