A Colorado man has been charged with attempted murder after he staged a car crash to kill his toddler son, according to local reports.
Nathan Weitzel reportedly told investigators that he intentionally drove his car into other vehicles at a speed of 75 mph, because he couldn’t handle the responsibility of fatherhood, reported 9NEWS.
According to court records obtained by 9NEWS, Weitzel formulated the plan to kill his 2-year-old son, Isaiah, while the two were at a local park on Aug. 21. After he found a “good place to crash the car,” the young father purposefully did not place Isaiah in a car seat or restrain him before proceeding to barrel into cars.
“I was trying to kill my son,” Weitzel told investigators.
Weitzel also admitted to taking cocaine on the day of the crash.
Following the wreck, a witness dialed 911 and said she saw Weitzel “hitting the child … it looked like an elbow. It was horrifying.”
Another witness heard the crash and aided in pulling the injured boy out of the vehicle.
“I pulled the window off, and I pulled the door open, my neighbor got him out of the car and put him on the ground,” he said.
Isaiah was transported to Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he was treated and released several days later. His road to recovery is expected to be long as he has a cast on half his body and stitches on his head.
“He used to be a really good climber,” the boy’s mother, Nancy Lopez, told 9NEWS. “He loves to play and run around. He can’t walk now; he’s not going to be walking for another two months.”
Weitzel was arrested and taken to the Arapahoe County Jail. In addition to attempted first-degree murder charges, he’s also been charged with child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance, and vehicular assault.
“He’s in the place that he should be,” Lopez said. “He needs to be in jail for a long time.”
Lopez said Weiztel had previously mentioned not wanting to be a father, and she seemed shocked about his actions. Weitzel looked after the child on the weekends.
“I don’t understand why or how he could do something like this, but I’m hoping Isaiah recovers soon people pray for us and for my son to get better,” Lopez said. “He’s a really caring boy. He’s really compassionate with other kids.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Isaiah’s medical expenses.
