Tow truck accidentally hauls SUV with 2 toddlers inside

A tow truck hauled away an SUV with two toddlers inside in Virginia — a move the company blamed on the sun’s glare and because the “seats were black leather, and so were the car seats, and the children were African American.”

A 26-year-old woman called police just after 11 a.m. Tuesday to report her SUV and two children, ages 3 and 1, were stolen from the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, The Washington Post reported.

Police quickly realized the car had been towed from a no-parking zone and that a “preliminary investigation indicates the tow operator was unaware the children were inside and upon notification pulled over to check on them.”

John O’Neill, the owner of Advanced Towing, said the tow truck’s driver missed the two tots because of the sun’s glare and, due to the fact that the “seats were black leather, and so were the car seats, and the children were African American.”

Images shared online by ArlNow.com, which first reported the incident, show a clear view into the SUV through the front. The website did not share images of the side view, and the children are not visible in photos taken from the outside.

“The kids were both asleep, and they both were covered up,” O’Neill added.

“We actually notified the police department that we were towing the vehicle, and the police department called us back to tell us there were kids in the car. Driver pulled over, checked on the kids; they were fine.”

O’Neill said his tow truck operators often find children left in erroneously parked cars on hot days.

The woman, who was identified by WTOP News as Chaukina Thomas, left her white Hyundai Kona with the engine running and the doors unlocked for about 16 minutes “in a fire lane outside the mall,” O’Neill told WaPo.

After police took Thomas to the towing company’s lot to pick up her children, she was cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowed to leave.

An Arlington police spokesperson said the children were in good health after they were discovered in the back of the car.