Man, 70, pleads guilty in fatal crash at Richmond Hill, Ont., daycare

Vinay Kumar Gupta, 70, has pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

A 70-year-old man has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges after an SUV he was driving crashed into a daycare north of Toronto last year, killing a toddler and injuring other children and staff members.

Vinay Kumar Gupta pleaded guilty in a Newmarket, Ont., court Monday morning to one count of dangerous operation causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Gupta was arrested at the scene in Richmond Hill, Ont., on Sept. 10, 2025 and later released on bail.

An agreed statement of facts read in court said Gupta arrived at the First Roots Early Education Academy parking lot with his wife in a grey SUV just before 3 p.m. that day to pick up his two grandchildren.

Gupta was attempting to park when his vehicle continued moving up the raised concrete sidewalk and through the exterior window, crashing into the building and striking multiple children and daycare staff in three classrooms before coming to a stop, the statement said.

“The vehicle travelled approximately 18.7 metres within five seconds,” court heard.

“It was calculated to be travelling at approximately 15 kilometres per hour through the first classroom, 14 kilometres per hour through the second classroom, and 11 kilometres per hour through the third classroom.”

The boy who died was just 1 1/2 years old and other children were injured, including one who had life-altering injuries and another who had broken bones and head injuries. Three adult staff members at the daycare were also hurt.

There was no evidence of braking and the car’s rear brake lights never lit up, as seen in CCTV footage, the statement said.

The vehicle was almost brand new, with only 2,555 kilometres on the odometer, it said.

“Given that fact, and that it is also an electric vehicle, the driver may not have been fully familiar with all its functionalities,” the statement said.

In a statement to police, Gupta said he had been trying to stop the SUV before it went into the building and thought he was pressing on the brake pedal but that it was not working, court heard.

Instead, the statement said, Gupta was pressing the gas pedal, causing the SUV to accelerate over the curb and into the building.

The car hit eight children and one staff member in the first room, another eight children in the second room and then eight more children and two staff members in the final room, court heard.

A collision reconstruction report found the collision was caused by operator error, the statement said.

A sentencing hearing for Gupta is scheduled on Dec. 8.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.

Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press