“He Tried To Escape”: Family Seeks Answers After 5-Year-Old’s Tragic Death In School Van
The school’s perfunctory response – that the driver “forgot to check” – has only deepened the family’s anguish.
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A five-year-old boy was found unconscious in a locked school van at noon – hours after being forgotten inside the vehicle.
The tragic incident that happened yesterday (1 May) in Iskandar Puteri, Johor has left a family in mourning and demanding accountability from the kindergarten management.
“My nephew had been taking the kindergarten’s transport for a year and a half,” shared the boy’s uncle in an emotional social media post.
What makes the tragedy even more devastating is that the victim, Zhang Yu Zie (transliteration), was found lying near the van’s door, suggesting he had desperately tried to escape during his final moments.
Found Near Door: Child’s Final Desperate Moments Show Attempt to Escape
The family’s anguish is compounded by what they perceive as inadequate responses from school authorities.
When confronted at the hospital, kindergarten officials allegedly offered only that the driver had forgotten to check for the remaining students.
When pressed about why parents weren’t notified of their son’s absence from morning classes, school representatives remained silent.
The school’s only explanation was that Zhang liked to sit in the back row, despite being told multiple times to sit in front, the uncle revealed.
But this was a small van. One glance, one simple check by either the driver or a teacher could have prevented this tragedy.
Five Hours in a Death Trap: Family Demands Answers as Investigation Begins
The severity of the incident becomes clear when considering the conditions Zhang had to endure.
Even an adult would struggle to survive 20 minutes in a locked car without air conditioning in the morning heat, the uncle noted.
My five-year-old nephew was trapped there for nearly five hours.
The case has led to renewed discussions about safety protocols in school transportation across Malaysia, with calls for stricter guidelines and monitoring systems.
For the grieving family, who has yet to receive any formal response from the kindergarten, their primary demand remains simple: accountability for their devastating loss.
Zhang’s uncle, whose own daughter also attended the same kindergarten, continues to seek answers about how such a fatal oversight could have occurred.
Driver Detained for Investigation
Police have launched an investigation and arrested the 56-year-old school van driver.
Iskandar Puteri district police chief Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan confirmed in a statement that the incident occurred yesterday in Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru.
The young victim was supposed to be transported to kindergarten by the school van at 7:30 AM, but was only discovered in the vehicle at noon.
Police arrested the school van driver around 2:40 PM in the Taman Bukit Indah area. Investigation revealed that the driver has no prior criminal record.
He also noted that the victim’s body has been sent to the Sultan Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru for autopsy.
Police are investigating the case under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which deals with parental and guardian negligence leading to child endangerment.
Under this section, those found guilty can be fined up to RM50,000 or imprisoned for up to 20 years, or both.
Parts of this story have been sourced from Sin Chew.
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