Parents left sleeping 4-year-old in taxi after ride home from airport, MA police say
A 4-year-old boy was sound asleep in a taxi when his parents accidentally left him there after a ride home from an airport in Boston, police in Massachusetts say.
The taxi driver who dropped the family off was unaware the child was in the back seat and parked the vehicle in a lot before heading home, also leaving him the night of March 2, WHDH reported.
A search for the boy ensued after police were called just after 6 p.m., NBC Boston reported. The boy was ultimately found safe and asleep in the cab within two hours.
“I looked in the back and didn’t see anyone, I didn’t see anyone in the cab,” the driver told WBZ-TV.
“The police made me open the door with the keys, they looked in and the kid was laying down in the back seat,” he told the outlet. “I was surprised, I didn’t know there was a child in the car, didn’t know anything about that.”
Both parents presumed one of them had brought the boy inside after coming home from Logan Airport and didn’t notice he was still in the taxi as the driver drove off, police said, according to WHDH.
They had taken their other children inside, accidentally forgetting the one, NBC Boston reported.
“Based on interviews with the family and the driver, we determined the child was accidentally left (in) the taxi and remained asleep the entire time,” state police spokesman Dave Procopio told WCVB.
The boy was taken to a police station where his father was waiting for him, NBC Boston reported.
“We further determined that the taxi driver did not check the vehicle at the conclusion of his shift as required,” state police said in a statement to WHDH.
Authorities are deciding on whether to issue a citation against the driver, according to the outlet.
“I’m not wrong, if I’m wrong they can give me a citation, but I’m not wrong,” the driver told WBZ-TV, adding that he’s driven his taxi for over 20 years.
McClatchy News has reached out to state police for comment.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Parents left sleeping 4-year-old in taxi after ride home from airport, MA police say."
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