RICHMOND HILL — A young child died after an SUV smashed through the window of a daycare north of Toronto shortly before pickup time on Wednesday afternoon.
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 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.
As the light outside began to fade, fire trucks arrived and firefighters entered the building. A drilling sound could be heard.
Firefighters helped get a full-size Hyundai electric vehicle out of the building onto a tow truck at dusk. There was little apparent damage to the vehicle. The front licence plate hung to one side and glass shrapnel could be seen on the hood.
Nebrija said that 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 (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 must be going through hell,” he added.
Faati Tabatabaei said one of the children from the daycare came with their parents to pick up a sibling from the nearby after-school program where she works.
She said the child had a scratch and looked scared.
“I am scared too, because I don’t know what happened exactly and it is like, you don’t feel safe,” she said.
Richmond Hill Mayor David West visited the crash site and called the incident “unimaginable.”
“It is hard to get your head around a tragedy like this,” he said. “It was shocking.”
West said he will speak with the family of the victim when the time is right.
“This is the worst day I have ever had in this position as mayor for sure, it was a very tragic and horrible day here in our city.”
The crash brought back difficult memories for the mayor of Laval, Que., in the Montreal area.
A city bus drove into a daycare in 2023, killing two children and injuring six others. A Quebec Superior Court judge declared the driver not criminally responsible in the crash earlier this year.
“My thoughts are with the children, families and educators affected in Ontario, as well as the entire Richmond Hill community,” Mayor Stéphane Boyer said in a post on social media.
“In Laval, we sadly know how deeply such a tragedy can affect a community and leave deep scars.”
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 separate post that he was “deeply concerned by the tragic incident” and that his thoughts were with everyone affected.
Yonge Street was closed between Gamble Road and Brookside Road, and motorists were being asked to avoid the area during the police investigation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.
Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press
