Refrigerator Falls, Kills 6-Year-Old in South Bay

Residents of a home on Beyer Way were moving the large appliance when it toppled on the child

A 6-year-old boy was killed Saturday in a horrifying accident in San Diego’s South Bay community after a refrigerator fell and crushed him, police confirmed.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said residents of a home in the 700 block of Beyer Way in Otay Mesa were in the process of moving a heavy refrigerator from a pickup truck into the home when the kitchen appliance slipped and toppled onto the young child.

Neighbors said the boy's parents were screaming for help as they held their child. 

“She was very emotional and even when police got here she was basically saying ‘I need to be with my son. I need to be with my son,’” neighbor John Quesnel said. “They said ‘you need to let the paramedics in so they can take of him.'”

The SDPD said the child was rushed to a local hospital but soon died.

Neighbor Rafael Lopez said he would ride bicycles with the 6-year-old boy and can't believe his friend is gone.

"[It's] difficult cause he was a good friend of ours. It must be devastating for his parents I mean he was just six," Lopez said.

Per standard operating procedure, the SDPD said Child Abuse detectives remained at the home for several hours investigating the deadly incident.

At this point, police have found nothing suspicious and believe this was a tragic accident.

No further details were released. The boy's name has not been released yet. 

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