3-year-old Girl Dies In A Burning Car

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A 3-year-old girl died Sunday after being rescued from a burning car by New York police. According to authorities, her father was allegedly responsible for burning the vehicle with the minor inside.

A NYPD source informed PEOPLE that when officers came to rescue little Zoey Pereira from the backseat of the burning 2008 Audi, the girl was still alive but had suffered severe burns. The car was parked in an area of Queens and authorities received a call about the fire around 9 p.m. Sunday.

Little Zoey, who was in critical condition, was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Shortly after arriving in the emergency room, doctors notified that he had died, this source added to PEOPLE confirming that the case is being investigated as a homicide.

The same source reported that the doors of the Audi had been chained from the inside, in order to catch the girl. The car window glass was totally closed too. Gas containers and a fuel tank were found near the car.

The girl's parents, who live on Long Island, had separated and were embroiled in a bitter battle for legal custody, according to reports. A 39-year-old man - identified by authorities as Zoey's biological father - was in the hospital recovering from burns and is in police custody.

As reported by the NYPD source to PEOPLE, the man - who was burning in flames after allegedly setting the car on fire - ran to a nearby park, where he entered a pond to put out the fire in his body. The case remains under investigation.