WINDSOR, Connecticut — A person died in Windsor after allegedly stealing a car from a school zone toddler inside, robbing a bank, and then crashing into a tree on Wednesday morning, according to police.
“I heard a series of very loud bangs,” recalled Suzanne Plover-Lanza, who lives near where the crash occurred.
The incident involved three locations. St. Gabriel’s School, the Windsor Federal Savings Bank, and the intersection of Windsor Ave and Hillcrest Road.
“From the sound of the accident itself, I knew it wasn’t good. It sounded like an explosion and then I saw a plume of smoke and you could smell it,” described Plover-Lanza.
Windsor Police told FOX61 that just after 9 a.m., a suspect stole a silver Acura sedan from in front of St. Gabriel’s School. The car was left unattended with a 17-month-old baby in the back seat. It is still unclear why the baby was left unattended in the vehicle, for how long, or if the mother may face charges.
However, minutes later, the suspect used the stolen car as a getaway vehicle after robbing the Windsor Federal Saving Bank on Bloomfield Ave. The suspect then sped down Broad Street toward Windsor Ave., where the vehicle lost control and crashed.
“There were several people who were driving by who had stopped to help. I heard them screaming there’s a baby inside, there’s a baby inside! They picked up a tree branch to try and break the window to get in,” recalled Alysse Reynolds, who witnessed the incident.
First responders arrived within minutes and used the jaws of life to cut off the roof of the vehicle and get the baby out. Mom was brought to the scene to be reunited with the baby shortly after the crash.
“I witnessed a mother and child being loaded into an ambulance and I pray for their full and speedy recovery,” said Reynolds.
“That’s heartbreaking. I can only imagine how absolutely helpless that mother must have felt,” added Plover-Lanza.
As a result, St. Gabriel’s School was briefly put on lockdown. The bank was closed for the day and residents who live near the crash told FOX61 it isn’t the first time a vehicle has lost control on the hill.
“I’ve lived here over 20 years and I’ve seen a lot of spectacular accidents at that very spot,” said Plover-Lanza.
“I’m just grateful that it didn’t happen at another time of day when there might have been more people on the sidewalks going to work or the bus stop or school,” added Reynolds.
Police said the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect's name hasn’t been given out pending family notification.
The child was responsive and the mother was taken to the scene and accompanied her baby to Connecticut Children's Hospital for evaluation and treatment, police said.
Windsor Police told FOX61 that the incident is still being investigated, but that no weapons were found either on the suspect or in the vehicle.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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