Father outraged after 5-year-old girl left in van for 3 hours in Queens | Exclusive
RICHMOND HILL, Queens (WABC) -- A 5-year-old girl kicked out the window of a van after she was trapped inside for three hours in Queens on Thursday morning.
At around 7 a.m., a private van from Al-Ihsan Academy picked up the child from her home to take her to school.
The young girl was then apparently left alone for hours.
"The van was totally dark, nobody can see from outside, tinted," father Mahtabul Bhuiyan said. "She opened her dress, and water drink, she drink all of the water because of too much heat inside. She could've died inside."
In an Eyewitness News exclusive, Bhuiyan says his daughter broke the windows to get the attention of a passerby and was able to provide her father's number.
That good Samaritan called 911 and then called Bhuiyan.
He says not only did the school fail to notify them that their daughter never made it to school, but they put his wife on hold for 15 minutes.
He couldn't wait. So he raced to Lefferts Boulevard and 91st Avenue in Richmond Hill, which is more than 10 minutes from the school in South Ozone Park and 15 minutes from home.
Bhuiyan says the driver eventually showed up, claiming he left the van there while running errands and had no idea the child was inside.
The school released a statement saying, "This unfortunate incident deeply saddens us. The driver has been suspended. We met with the parents and will continue to offer support to them."
But Bhuiyan's daughter no longer wants to go to the school. She was taken to a hospital in complete shock and feels scared and abandoned.
"She's totally exhausted. Not sleeping. She's not having any food," Bhuiyan said.
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