HAMPTON, Va. — An 8-year-old boy is dead after he climbed out of a car in motion earlier this week, the Hampton Police Division (HPD) confirmed Thursday.
According to HPD, the boy was riding in a car with an 18-year-old woman at 200 Golden Gate Drive on Tuesday. That's within the Bridgeport Apartment complex. Officers were notified of the incident around 4:52 p.m. and found the boy unresponsive in the road.
An investigation revealed that while the teen was driving, the boy climbed out of the car window and onto the roof. He fell off the car and onto the ground.
He was airlifted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he died the following day.
“It’s just unbelievable that something like this could happen,” said Bridgeport Apartment resident Anthony Hunter.
He and his neighbors are stunned at the thought of an 8-year-old boy losing his life.
“It is very sad… for someone so young to be gone so fast,” he said.
Hunter has lived at the Bridgeport Apartments for a month and believes the boy who died lives right next to him. He said the situation is painful for neighbors to talk about.
“Nobody is really speaking about it," Hunter said. "You know, you could just feel the sadness in the air.”
One woman who didn’t want to go on camera said she knew the boy and said her children would play with the boy and his sister. She said a young girl knocked on her door moments after the incident. The woman said she couldn't believe it, and was hurt that a mother had lost her son so soon.
The situation leaves neighbors with many questions. Another neighbor wants to know how the boy got out of the car and how fast the car drove off.
“I have a 3-year-old grandson and if you’re not careful, it could happen to him," Hunter said. "You have to keep an eye on the kids no matter how old they are.”
The Hampton Police Accident Reconstruction Team is continuing to investigate what happened.