Boy with Autism Left House Despite Three Locks, Then Ran into the Street and Was Fatally Hit by Car

The family of a boy with autism is speaking out after their son left his Virginia home and was fatally struck by a car.

The crash occurred in the area of Centreville Road and Leland Road in Manassas on Monday, April 13, according to a news release from the Prince William County Police Department.

Police said a 9-year-old boy left his home and ran into the street, where a 2012 Honda Civic struck him..

Bystanders “immediately began performing CPR” before the child was transported to a local hospital, where he later died.

Family members have since identified the child as Mathew Vargas, according to CBS affiliate WUSA.

Fernando Vargas said his son, who also had ADHD and was non-verbal, had run off from their home before the crash. That night, he somehow bypassed three different locks to escape the home.

“One was electronic, one was a push button, and one other one was a mechanical one that was a gate lock that’s very hard to figure out and he did it,” Fernando explained.

Police said the driver of the Honda, identified as 30-year-old Jacinto Morales, of Centreville, was not injured in the crash and stayed at the scene afterward.

Morales has since been charged with driving without a license, his third offense of that kind.

But speaking with WUSA, Fernando said he doesn’t “blame him” for what happened.

“Some parents don’t understand what we go through,” he said. “It’s very hard for us raising a special need kid with autism. You really don’t know what he wants or how he’s feeling…To have him be taken away this way was very hard.”

Wandering, or elopement, is the tendency of a person with autism to leave their caretaker or a safe area, according to the National Autism Association. While wandering is common in young children with autism, the behavior can persist or re-emerge later.

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Mathew was a student at Yorkshire Elementary School in Manassas, where his loved ones said “he made a lasting impression on his teachers and classmates,” according to a GoFundMe set up on his family’s behalf, which has already raised over $23,000.

An investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the investigation should contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or submit a tip online at pwcva.gov/policetip.