Heartbroken Sydney Dad's Warning To Parents: 'I Just Forgot'

The distraught father of a Sydney toddler who died after being left in a hot car for six hours has spoken out in a bid to stop similar tragedies.

Newaz Hasan’s morning was like any other last Thursday. The father-of-two bundled his sons, including three-year-old Arikh into the car. His six-year-old son was headed to school and Arikh to daycare. He’d done the same drive for the past 18 months.

But somehow, this scorching summer’s day, he would forget to take Arikh to daycare.

“I would normally talk to my son on the way to daycare, you know, we would chat … but because he was asleep this day, the car was silent,” Hasan told The Daily Telegraph.

“I think that silence just made me forget he was there.”

Mr Hasan left his home in Sydney’s western suburbs with his two children on board. He dropped his oldest off at school and headed to work. He worked for six hours from his home office, before getting back in the car at 3pm to pick up his older son from school.

He still didn’t realise little Arikh was in the back.

But when he went to open the door to let his older son into the car, the horror of what had happened sunk in. Arikh had been in the car all day.

The distraught dad grabbed his unconscious toddler from his seat and ran to a nearby store where CPR was performed until medical help arrived. But it was too late.

When he heartbreak of the situation hit him, Mr Hasan punched the window of his car.

“Even talking about it now, I still don’t really know how it happened. There was nothing on my mind, I wasn’t distracted, nothing … I just forgot,” he said.

“I just want to say to other parents please always be 120 per cent sure where your kids are.”

Investigations are continuing, but Mr Hasan has not been charged with any offences.

34 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 18 Dec 2024
    10:51 am
WE all think it wouldnt happen to us but things happen.
I saw once where this one Mum had a brilliant idea to avoid this ever happening. Everytime she gets in the car she puts her shoes on thed floor in the back of the car that way she always has to open up the back to get them kids or no kids

- - mom111059 said
  - 18 Feb 2023
    11:24 am
OMG this is a nightmare situation. The poor father will never get over this. Poor little Arikh. Sad for everyone.

- - MummaD said
  - 13 Feb 2023
    11:17 am
The poor father, the heartbreak and torment he must be going through.

- - Mumof3 said
  - 12 Feb 2023
    12:30 pm
Such a heart breaking tragedy :'( RIP Little Arikh

- - Ellen said
  - 10 Feb 2023
    8:55 am
So heartbreaking. I really feel for this family and especially this dad as I suspect he will have to deal with feelings of guilt for the rest of his life

- - NicolaL said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    6:42 pm
This is so awful for the whole family. I just hope their marriage survives this tragedy but it’s going to be hard.

- - mom160270 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    1:01 pm
This is so sad. I feel very sorry for this family, and especially for this young boy. R.I.P.

- - mom101628 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    12:43 pm
Such a tragic thing to happen and not the first time I have heard of ‘forgetting’ a child in the car. It was something I always did – checking inside the car before locking and leaving it and I still find myself doing this although all my babies are now well grown up. Guess it is a good habit to get into and would stop this happening in future.
- Ellen replied
  
  11 Feb 2023 , 7:26 am
  Yes it’s tragic that this happens more often
- - mom169205 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    10:06 am
Such a sad and heartbreaking turn of events my heart goes out to the devastated family especially dad and mum

- - cassy26 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    9:36 am
This is just so, so sad. How devastating for everyone.

- - rovermum said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    9:14 am
This is just an absolute tragedy. Nothing that can be said or done will change the heartbreak for this family, a heartbreak they have to live with forver. My thoughts are with them.

- - shocolatmoose said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    9:09 am
An absolute tragedy, and shows how easily the brain switches to autopilot, condolences to the family.

- - mustangsachy said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    8:58 am
This is every parent’s nightmare. Poor family!

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    8:51 am
Such a tragedy, I can’t imagine!

- - mom375930 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    7:15 am
Absolutely heartbreaking… i can’t imagine how devastated this family, especially the father, feels…

- - TraceyGail said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    6:47 am
Until you forget something important that you never imagined you would you cannot for a moment put yourself in his shoes. This poor man and his family have to live with this tragedy and I feel for them with all the judgmental and nasty comments being posted around. Absolutely heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to the family.

- - catherines said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    6:16 am
My heart breaks for this family. I can’t even imagine the pain and torment he must be going through. So very sad.

- - Bizma said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    5:54 am
Its an absolute tragedy. I am not being judgmental and i know what the family might be going through but there are questions that keep bothering me abt how it even happened!

- - mom468034 said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    5:38 am
Terribly sad. The poor family. No judgment, just condolences.

- - Ellen said
  - 09 Feb 2023
    5:24 am
Aw bless, this is so heart breaking ! I believe this dad will never be able to wipe this of his mind.