A woman has been charged with child neglect in New Zealand after a 2-year-old girl was found inside a suitcase in a bus’ luggage compartment Sunday, police said.
The bus driver made the discovery during a scheduled stop in Kaiwaka, a Northland Region town, New Zealand Police Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said in a statement.
The suspect asked to access the compartment during the stop, said Harrison, acting crime manager for the Auckland-adjacent district of Waitematā.
“The driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving,” he said. “When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the two-year-old girl.”
The toddler was taken to a hospital for an “extensive medical assessment” and was “reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed,” Harrison said.
The suspect, a 27-year-old woman whose name was not released, was arrested and charged with “ill-treatment/neglect” of a child, he said. Further charges are not being ruled out, he added.
She is due in court Monday, Harrison said.
It is not clear why the toddler was in a suitcase. Entrada Travel Group, which operates New Zealand’s national bus line, InterCity, acknowledged that the incident involved one of its buses.
The bus line says online that children up to 2 years old travel free if they do so on a guardian’s lap. Children 3 and older may travel with guardians, but that requires a child ticket, usually sold at a deeply discounted rate.
“We are aware of an incident involving a passenger on one of our services,” Entrada Travel Group said by email. “Police were called to respond and are investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident, and the service resumed.”
It said it could not comment further amid the ongoing investigation.
Harrison praised the bus driver for being aware and taking action.
“We would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome,” he said.
Kaiwaka is about 60 miles north of Auckland along the country’s central artery, State Highway 1.
