Vinay Kumar Gupta, 70, has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges after an SUV he was driving crashed through a Richmond Hill daycare last year, killing a 1 1/2-year-old boy and injuring several children and staff members.
Gupta entered the guilty pleas Monday morning in a Newmarket, Ont., courtroom. He pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous operation causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
The crash happened on Sept. 10, 2025, at First Roots Early Education Academy, north of Toronto. Gupta was arrested at the scene and later released on bail.
An agreed statement of facts read in court said Gupta arrived at the daycare parking lot shortly before 3 p.m. with his wife. The couple had gone there to pick up their two grandchildren.
Gupta was trying to park a grey SUV when the vehicle continued moving up a raised concrete sidewalk and through an exterior window. The SUV then entered the daycare and struck children and staff members across three classrooms before stopping.
“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 vehicle struck eight children and one staff member in the first room, another eight children in the second room, and eight more children and two staff members in the third room, according to the agreed statement.
The boy who died was 1 1/2 years old. Other children suffered injuries, including one child with life-altering injuries and another with broken bones and head injuries.
Three adult daycare staff members were also injured in the crash.
Court heard there was no evidence Gupta braked before the collision. CCTV footage showed the SUV’s rear brake lights did not come on, according to the agreed statement.
Investigators also noted the SUV was almost new, with 2,555 kilometres on the odometer. The vehicle was electric.
“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 tried to stop the SUV before it entered the daycare. He said he thought he was pressing the brake pedal and believed the brake was not working, court heard.
The agreed statement said Gupta was pressing the gas pedal instead. As a result, the SUV accelerated over the curb and into the building.
A collision reconstruction report concluded operator error caused the crash, the statement said.
Gupta’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
