Man Fleeing Theft Flipped Car, Killing 2-Year-Old Son, Looked At Him, Then Ran: Bucks County DA

TULLYTOWN, PA -- A New Jersey man is behind bars on $5 million bail on charges of third-degree murder after police say he failed to secure his child in a car seat as he fled the scene of a retail theft, crashing his car and killing his 2-year-old son.

Authorities say Christopher Kuhn, 27, of Hamilton, N.J. even stopped and looked at his son lying injured on Rt. 13 in Tullytown and ran away. He is facing charges of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle and related charges following the death of his toddler son shortly after noon on Tuesday.

Authorities say Kuhn had been holding a small child when he left Walmart on Levittown Parkway after security personnel tried to detain him for not paying for $228 worth of merchandise.

As he was fleeing the scene, Kuhn's Jeep SUV ran a red light, hitting another vehicle and rolling over. The young boy, a passenger in the Jeep, was ejected from the vehicle, and Kuhn fled the scene, according to authorities with the Bucks County District Attorney's office.

Kuhn ran away after the crash, "pausing to look at his injured son on the roadway" before fleeing, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Officers ran after him, catching and arresting him, while others tended to the toddler, the affidavit said.

The boy was taken to Lower Bucks Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The suspect’s Jeep was not being chased by police vehicles at the time of the crash, authorities said.

Witnesses told police the child had climbed into the rear driver’s side of the Jeep and he was not secured in a child safety seat at the time of the crash. Police later found a child safety seat in the rear seat of the Jeep.

Court records show Kuhn was arraigned late Tuesday and bail was set at $5 million. He is currently being lodged at Bucks County prison, with a preliminary hearing on Oct. 10.

PHOTO: Bucks County District Attorney