Two children are in critical condition after聽an SUV crashed into the front window聽of a Richmond Hill daycare Wednesday afternoon,聽killing a toddler and injuring six other children, York police said Thursday.
Officers responded to the collision around 3 p.m. at First Roots Early Education Academy, near聽, where they found a Hyundai Ioniq 9 electric SUV that had broken through a window and cut clean through one of the daycare rooms before breaking through the drywall into the next room.
Vinay Kumar Gupta, 70, was arrested聽at the scene Wednesday afternoon and later charged with one count of dangerous operation causing death and two counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm.
Following the crash, a one-and-a-half-years-old boy was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Nine others were taken to hospital for medical attention, including two children in critical condition, according to York police . Four other children and three staff members were treated for injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
People left stuffed animals, flowers and notes of condolences outside First Roots Early Education Academy on Thursday morning after a horrific crash that left a toddler dead.聽
Abby O’Brien/色色啦 StarThose hurt were in various rooms throughout the daycare centre and suffered injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening, including two children who are in critical condition, police said.
Officers said “there is no reason to believe the collision was deliberate,” but added that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be laid.
Gupta appeared in court via video from York Regional Police headquarters. He was wearing handcuffs, a blue turtleneck and grey windbreaker and required an interpreter. He did not appear to have physical injuries and sat quietly in the room during the proceedings.
The Crown consented to his release on $25,000 bail, on the conditions that he lives with his surety and is not allowed to drive or have keys to a motor vehicle. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 16.
Moses Tsang’s four-year-old daughter was inside the Richmond Hill daycare when he received an emergency alert from the child care centre.
鈥淯sually, if the kids are sick, we get a phone call, so we knew this was something serious,鈥 Tsang told reporters on Thursday. 鈥淚 dropped everything and came here.鈥
It was a drive filled with fear and uncertainty, said Tsang. When he arrived, he found his daughter, injured.聽
His daughter, too young to understand the gravity of the incident, only later recounted hearing 鈥渁 big crash,鈥 he said.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a bit confused (today),鈥 Tsang said, his daughter in his arms, after visiting the memorial.
Jacqueline Kwee said her pre-school-aged son was also inside the daycare Wednesday afternoon .聽
鈥淚t was very traumatic,鈥 Kwee told the Star, fighting back tears. 鈥淚 got the call but it was very chaotic; we didn鈥檛 know what kind of emergency it was, so I just rushed down here and found my son.鈥
Kwee said she’s grateful her son walked away unharmed.
鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly a miracle that he鈥檚 okay because he was right there,鈥 she said. As of Thursday afternoon, Kwee says she hasn鈥檛 received any information on how the other children are doing.
鈥淢y heart just goes out to the families,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his is all so overwhelming.鈥
In a statement Thursday, First Roots Early Education Academy said its community was “in a state of shock” and asked for privacy as they grieve.
“We are devastated and still processing what happened, but our foremost and only priority is supporting our families and staff members,” the centre wrote in a post on Facebook.
“We鈥檙e also continuing to work with the York Regional Police鈥檚 investigation, which is still in its early stages and sincerely ask for everyone to keep our school, community and families in their thoughts and prayers as we support each other through this tragedy.”
Community members and child care providers from other daycares stopped by the property Thursday morning, leaving flowers, stuffed animals and handwritten cards as part of a makeshift memorial for the young boy.
A car has crashed through a window off a small parking lot of the First Roots Early Education Academy at Yonge street and Nottingham Dr. in Richmond Hill Wednesday afternoon.聽
Richard Lautens/色色啦 StarSanaz Ramzani, who lives just down the street from the centre, paid her respects at the memorial Thursday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just so awful,鈥 an emotional Ramzani told the Star. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it, for an accident like this to happen with so many children inside 鈥 and the boy, he was just a baby.鈥
The walls of the daycare were still lined with crayon-coloured cartoons and colourful posters teaching children the months of the year.聽
Firefighters pull the SUV from聽First Roots Early Education Academy on Sept. 10, 2025. Earlier, the vehicle drove through the window of the Richmond Hill daycare, leaving one toddler dead and six other children injured.
Richard Lautens/色色啦 StarA large hole in the centre鈥檚 west wall, where the vehicle entered, had been boarded up. On the opposite side of the building, a storage shed blocked the view of another mangled wall. Black curtains covered many of the daycare鈥檚 windows.
Inside, children鈥檚 backpacks, toys, art supplies, and broken chairs were strewn amongst the debris, which spans three rooms of the child care centre. Above the wreckage, art projects and educational posters decorated the remaining walls. Many of the daycare鈥檚 children had left their belongings in baskets, tucked into a row of cubbies, and their coats hung side-by-side on hooks.
Marymar Sales, an employee at a nearby daycare centre, said her workplace was sent into a panic when they found out about the crash.
鈥淲e just didn鈥檛 know what was happening,鈥 Sales said. 鈥淲hen we learned a child was killed, we just couldn鈥檛 handle it. They鈥檙e just babies.鈥
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 sleep last night,鈥 she continued. 鈥淪o this morning, we decided to come down here with flowers (and) toys to give the kids.鈥
People left stuffed animals, flowers and notes of condolences outside First Roots Early Education Academy on Thursday morning after a horrific crash that left a toddler dead.
Abby O’Brien/色色啦 Star鈥淗eartbroken and deeply saddened by the tragic incident at our center,鈥 a statement on the daycare鈥檚 Instagram read Wednesday night. 鈥淥ur heartfelt condolences go out to the family during this incredibly difficult time.鈥
York Regional Police chief Jim MacSween expressed his condolences to the family of the toddler who was killed.
“As a father, I can鈥檛 imagine the pain being felt by these young families,” he said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with all of those injured and impacted by this incident.”
MacSween also thanks the staff members, bystanders and construction workers that were in the area for their “heroic response” in the moments after the crash.
“We know the effects from this heartbreaking and traumatic event will be felt across our聽region,” he said.
There were 96 children in the daycare when the crash occurred, police said.
According to the , programs start for child as young as three months old and go up to six years old.
With files from Raju Mudhar
The boy, one-and-a-half years old, was pronounced dead in hospital after the 3 p.m. crash
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