Share and Follow
Inset: Alejandra Segundo Cruz (Florida Highway Patrol). Background: The area in Florida where Segundo Cruz’s son was killed by a pickup truck (Google Maps).
In a heart-wrenching incident that unfolded in Florida, a young mother has been arrested months after a tragic accident claimed the life of her 2-year-old son. The child, left unsupervised, tragically wandered into the street and was struck by a Ford F-450 pickup truck, leading to his untimely death.
Alejandra Segundo Cruz, 32, now faces charges related to this heartbreaking event. She was apprehended on Thursday, facing allegations of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect resulting in great bodily harm. These charges stem from the October 2025 incident that resulted in the loss of her son, Damian Alexander Segundo Cruz, as indicated by court documents.
The fatal accident occurred in the late afternoon of October 29, 2025, outside a residence on the 8000 block of 49th Avenue North in the West Lealman area, located approximately 120 miles southwest of Orlando. Details from a probable cause affidavit, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, reveal the tragic sequence of events.
Segundo Cruz is alleged to have left Damian and several of his siblings unattended in the front yard, dangerously close to the roadway. It was during this time that Damian made his way into the street, directly into the path of an approaching vehicle.
The driver of the pickup truck, a 34-year-old man, had stopped in front of Segundo Cruz’s home. According to reports from Tampa Bay Fox affiliate WTVT, as the truck began to move, Damian unexpectedly dashed in front of it. The driver, unable to see the small child due to his height, tragically ran over him. He remained at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement, expressing his inability to have seen the child before the accident occurred.
Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and pronounced Damian dead.
Detectives said Segundo Cruz’s decision to leave Damian in front of the home without an adult led directly to the fatal collision.
“Ms. Alejandra Segundo Cruz should have known that leaving young children unsupervised to play outside in the front yard near the roadway could have caused them to get seriously hurt or killed if they entered the roadway and were struck by [a] vehicle,” investigators wrote in the affidavit, according to Tampa Bay CBS affiliate WTSP.
Witnesses described hearing shouting immediately after the crash, with family members rushing into the street as the severity of the situation became clear.
Authorities said there was no indication the driver was impaired, and no criminal charges have been filed against him.
The investigation remained open for several months as investigators with the Florida Highway Patrol reviewed witness statements and evidence before ultimately determining the circumstances warranted criminal charges against the child’s mother.
Segundo Cruz is currently being held in the Pinellas County Jail without bond. She made her first appearance in court Friday. It was not immediately clear when she was scheduled to return to court.