Baby found at roadside after falling from van during high-speed police chase
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: City of Bryan Police Department
A nine-month-old Ohio baby was found at the roadside after falling from a van during a high-speed police chase.
According to a police report released last month, an individual at a Walmart near Toledo called 911 after recognizing Zachary Chervenka, who was wanted by officials on an arrest warrant.
The witness spotted the 32-year-old from Butler, Indiana, in the driver's seat of a vehicle, with a five-year-old and a nine-month-old baby in the backseat while his wife loaded the car with groceries.
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A police officer approached Chervenka and saw the suspect speed off to speeds of 100mph, as he left his wife for dust.
"He’s heading southbound on South Main. High rates of speed, juvenile in the car," a police officer said in dash cam footage.
"I think he blew a tyre. We’re heading southbound on 127. Be advised, the door’s open. We’re turning right on the first road into - past the 15 and 127 split."
During the police chase, the younger child was ejected out of the vehicle as Chervenka took a sharp turn - something officers did not see.
Video footage, captured from the perspective of the police car chasing, sees the child hitting the side of the highway still strapped to the car seat.
The baby even bounced multiple times, all while Chervenka was able to escape as the chase was called off due to poor weather conditions.
As per court documents, Chervenka sped through eight major intersections and failed to stop at nine stop signs.
He apparently continued driving recklessly for around 15 minutes after the baby fell from the van.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of serious injuries, while the five-year-old was later located by police.
"The reckless actions of the defendant placed multiple lives, including those juveniles, at significant risk of serious injury or death," a criminal information summary stated.
Chervenka contacted his wife to inform her he had dropped the older child off at a friend's house and detailed where the younger child was ejected.
The nine-month-old was found an hour later, still in the car seat.
Chervenka has been charged with fleeing law enforcement and two counts of child endangerment, while online court records show his two arrest warrants were for charges of obstruction of justice, identity deception, and theft, on top of resisting law enforcement and criminal recklessness.
UNILAD has contacted the City of Bryan Police Department for further comment.