Richard Harrow
Deplorable.
Every driver's worst nightmare came true for someone yesterday in New Jersey.
Always, always, always glance under the car before you get in.
My thoughts are with all those involved.
UPS truck runs over, kills 5-year-old boy chasing ball
WOODBRIDGE TWP. — A UPS truck ran over and killed a 5-year-old Iselin boy Thursday evening as the boy chased a ball under the truck, police said.
At about 6:30 p.m., the driver of the truck — a 38-year-old male whose name was not released by police — had just finished making a delivery at an apartment complex on Cheryl Drive, officials said.
The driver got back in the truck without seeing the boy, who was still under the vehicle, and as the man began to drive, the boy was run over and killed, according to Capt. Roy Hoppock of the Woodbridge Police Department.
No charges have been filed at the time, said Hoppock, who described the incident as "a tragedy."
"I can't imagine," he said, referring to the parents of the child.
The incident, however, remains under investigation, Hoppock said.
Satya, a man who said he lived in Building 6 at the Village Apartments on Cheryl Drive, the same building as the boy's family, said he heard the soccer ball the boy was playing with pop when the child was struck.
"It sounded like a small explosion," said Satya, who declined to give his last name.
Satya, who has two 8-year-old twin boys, said he did not see the 5-year-old boy get hit, but said about 10 children were outside playing when the incident occurred. He is unsure of which kids saw what.
"It takes a split second to happen," he said. "He was just a little kid. He had a lot of years left."
The boy was an only child, Satya said. He said the family is still grieving and is not in the right state to talk about the incident.
Stanly Samuel, 34, and Esther Victor, 31, who for a year have lived across the street from where the boy was struck, said they were putting their two children, 2 and 4, in the car when they also heard the ball pop.
Samuel said the UPS driver got out of his vehicle immediately and made a phone call. Police and emergency responders were on scene in about five to 10 minutes, he said.
While there is a playground down the street, Samuel said one for older children needs to be installed so incidents like this don't occur.
"We don't have a proper playground here for older kids," he said.
Dwaraka Yallaturu, 45, who also lives in the same complex as the boy's family, said the family moved to the neighborhood from North Carolina about three months ago. They were planning on leaving New Jersey soon, he said, to head for Texas.
As for Yallaturu, he said he does not know how to tell his twin 7-year-old boys about what happened. The child used to come over and play with him and his kids frequently.
"One of my kids is very sensitive," he said. "I don't know how he is going to react. I don't know."
Reporter Luke Nozicka contributed to this report
Spencer Kent may be reached at[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Always, always, always glance under the car before you get in.
My thoughts are with all those involved.
UPS truck runs over, kills 5-year-old boy chasing ball
WOODBRIDGE TWP. — A UPS truck ran over and killed a 5-year-old Iselin boy Thursday evening as the boy chased a ball under the truck, police said.
At about 6:30 p.m., the driver of the truck — a 38-year-old male whose name was not released by police — had just finished making a delivery at an apartment complex on Cheryl Drive, officials said.
The driver got back in the truck without seeing the boy, who was still under the vehicle, and as the man began to drive, the boy was run over and killed, according to Capt. Roy Hoppock of the Woodbridge Police Department.
No charges have been filed at the time, said Hoppock, who described the incident as "a tragedy."
"I can't imagine," he said, referring to the parents of the child.
The incident, however, remains under investigation, Hoppock said.
Satya, a man who said he lived in Building 6 at the Village Apartments on Cheryl Drive, the same building as the boy's family, said he heard the soccer ball the boy was playing with pop when the child was struck.
"It sounded like a small explosion," said Satya, who declined to give his last name.
Satya, who has two 8-year-old twin boys, said he did not see the 5-year-old boy get hit, but said about 10 children were outside playing when the incident occurred. He is unsure of which kids saw what.
"It takes a split second to happen," he said. "He was just a little kid. He had a lot of years left."
The boy was an only child, Satya said. He said the family is still grieving and is not in the right state to talk about the incident.
Stanly Samuel, 34, and Esther Victor, 31, who for a year have lived across the street from where the boy was struck, said they were putting their two children, 2 and 4, in the car when they also heard the ball pop.
Samuel said the UPS driver got out of his vehicle immediately and made a phone call. Police and emergency responders were on scene in about five to 10 minutes, he said.
While there is a playground down the street, Samuel said one for older children needs to be installed so incidents like this don't occur.
"We don't have a proper playground here for older kids," he said.
Dwaraka Yallaturu, 45, who also lives in the same complex as the boy's family, said the family moved to the neighborhood from North Carolina about three months ago. They were planning on leaving New Jersey soon, he said, to head for Texas.
As for Yallaturu, he said he does not know how to tell his twin 7-year-old boys about what happened. The child used to come over and play with him and his kids frequently.
"One of my kids is very sensitive," he said. "I don't know how he is going to react. I don't know."
Reporter Luke Nozicka contributed to this report
Spencer Kent may be reached at[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
