Inset: Maria V. Santiago (Connecticut State Police). Background: The area where she allegedly ran over a 2-year-old child in her care (WFSB).
A 55-year-old babysitter in Connecticut is accused of running over a 2-year-old boy in her care after the toddler opened one of the rear doors and fell out of the vehicle while unsecured in the backseat.
Maria V. Santiago was taken into custody on Monday and charged with four counts of risk of injury to a minor and one count of failure to apply a child restraint system, authorities announced.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Clifton Police Department responded to a 911 call at about 3:14 p.m. on May 14, 2024, about a vehicular accident involving a 2-year-old child in the area of Sunnybrook Lane in Clinton, which is about 40 miles south of Hartford.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders spoke with Santiago, who was heading home after picking up an 11-year-old child from the bus stop. Santiago allegedly said she was “negotiating a left curve” when the boy “opened the passenger side rear door and fell from the vehicle.” She then stopped the vehicle on top of the boy.
Police soon learned that Santiago also left three young children — ages 9, 4, and 2 — unattended in her home with chicken boiling on the stovetop. The 9-year-old confirmed to police that Santiago was their babysitter and said she picks up the 11-year-old girl from the bus stop nearly every day. The 9-year-old girl also said it was the first time Santiago had left her in charge of the younger children in the home.
Police then spoke to the 11-year-old who was in the car with Santiago and the victim at the time of the accident.
“The [11-year-old] told [police] that Maria never has the child wear a seatbelt, so the child is ‘really loose’ in the back seat,” the affidavit stated. “The [11-year-old] stated that as they were driving around the curve in the roadway, the child opened the rear door and fell out of the vehicle. The [11-year-old] told [police] that Maria was screaming, asking her what they should do.”
When the 11-year-old got in the car, she said the 2-year-old was “not in his car seat and was standing up on the floor behind the driver’s seat. She also noted that Santiago seemed to be driving “faster than usual” on the day of the accident.
“[11-year-old] stated that as they took the sharp left curve (on Sunnybrook Lane) the little kid slid across the back seat and ended up near the rear passenger side door just behind her,” the affidavit states. “She said she turned her head to check and make sure he was ok and when she looked back, she noticed the back passenger door was open. She said the little boy somehow opened the car door and fell out of the vehicle.”
The child was transported via ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of “suspected serious physical injuries” and was described as going “in and out of consciousness.” He was admitted into the hospital’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit — his condition after initial treatment was redacted from the document.
Santiago was also transported to the hospital because she was suffering from a panic attack.
The state’s attorney’s office then requested the Connecticut State Police’s Collision Accident Reconstruction Squad respond to the scene.
A witness told authorities he was in his home at about 3 p.m. when he heard a woman screaming outside and went to investigate. Outside, he saw Santiago next to the car stopped in the middle of the intersection. He also noticed a child was “trapped underneath the rear passenger side tire.”
“[The witness] explained that the child was laying supine parallel with the vehicle and the rear tire was on top of the child’s legs,” the affidavit said. “[The witness] stated it appeared as though the child had been run over by the vehicle. said he immediately instructed Santiago to call 911 and to put the vehicle in reverse to travel off the child’s legs.”
Santiago was released on a written promise to appear at her court date on July 30.
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