TOWN OF WALLKILL – The
man, who backed up his van in a parking lot striking and killing a one-year-old,
was driving with a suspended license.
Antonio Mendez, 31, of Middletown, is an employee at Joshua’s Auto
Body, where the tragic accident occurred. The business is owned by the
parents of the little victim, whose name was Joshua Gutierrez.
The family lives in Bloomingburg.
Family members grieve the loss of Joshua
Wallkill Police Chief Robert Hertman said Tuesday that the child’s
mother rushed her son to Orange Regional Medical Center, where he was
pronounce dead.
The boy and his mom had gone to the family shop to pick up Joshua Gutierrez
Senior to bring him home. While they waited, little Joshua was chasing
a ball in the parking lot when Mendez’s vehicle struck him.
Mendez is to appear in town court in November.
The investigation is being conducted by Wallkill detectives along with
the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, State Police and Middletown
City Police.
