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Inset left: Elizabeth Aguilar (Baton Rouge Police Department). Inset right: Nicholas Aguilar (GoFundMe). Background: The gas station where Nicholas was run over in Baton Rouge, La. (Google Maps).
A tragic incident in Louisiana has led to the arrest of a woman after her toddler, who was not secured, fell from a moving truck and was fatally run over in a parking lot, according to local authorities.
Elizabeth Aguilar, aged 22, faces charges including negligent homicide, failing to secure her child in an appropriate passenger restraint system, and not possessing valid insurance or vehicle registration, as reported by the Baton Rouge Police Department in a press release.
The unfortunate event took place on the morning of February 20 near the Amazon fulfillment center on Cortana Place in Baton Rouge, resulting in the death of 1-year-old Nicholas Aguilar, as confirmed by police.
At approximately 11:20 a.m., Aguilar was reportedly maneuvering her Dodge Ram out of the Murphy USA gas station parking lot when her son Nicholas fell from the vehicle, law enforcement officials said.
Tragically, the young boy was then struck by the rear passenger-side tire of the truck, according to police reports.
The child was rushed to a nearby hospital where he eventually died, according to law enforcement.
Additional investigation determined Nicholas was in the rear passenger seat at the time of the incident and that the vehicle’s door opened when the defendant made the turn, according to an arrest warrant obtained by Baton Rouge ABC affiliate WBRZ.
Two adults were in the truck at the time, police previously told WBRZ. Investigators said there were no car seats in the truck and at least one other child was in the back seat, also unrestrained, with Nicholas.
The pickup truck had child locks on the doors, but they were not in use at the time, according to the police department.
In a GoFundMe, the Aguilar family is raising money for the boy’s funeral.
“My sister is going through the unimaginable loss of her 1-year-old baby,” the victim’s aunt wrote. “Our family is heartbroken, and we are trying to support her in every way we can during this incredibly difficult time. The sudden loss has left us all in shock, and we want to give her baby a proper funeral and burial to honor his memory and say our goodbyes with love and dignity.”
The incident was initially being investigated as a traffic crash, police said, in response to a question from local news media about the likelihood of criminal charges for the adults in the truck. In the weeks that followed, police filed criminal charges.
Aguilar was arrested on Tuesday, police said.
The investigation is said to be ongoing.