A Port Jervis man is facing charges and tickets in a roadway incident that unfolded on the Pennsylvania state border after motorists in Port Jervis allegedly saw several kids unbuckled in the cargo area of a hatchback trunk and called for help.

Eastern Pike Regional police say they were notified by Port Jervis police on Tuesday that motorists reported seeing the kids unrestrained and allegedly mouthing for help in a vehicle headed toward Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania authorities say they caught up with the 28-year-old driver at Turkey Hill on Pennsylvania Avenue in Matamoras and that the kids were found to be OK. They say four children, however, were unbuckled in the vehicle, including three that were in the cargo area and one child that witnesses say was on the floor in the backseat.

“It all happened so fast,” says Eddie Turner, of Dingmans Ferry. “The cops looked like they were really distraught over it. They opened the door and there were two kids on the floor. They opened the back hatch and there were several kids.”

Police say a fifth child, an infant, was in the backseat and was in a car seat.

According to the National Safety Council, 555 children under the age of 13 were killed in vehicle crashes in 2023. The data shows 190 of those children were determined to be unrestrained or inadequately restrained.

“A child loose in the cargo area of a hatchback, that’s extremely hazardous. That’s frightening. That’s dangerous beyond a degree that can be measured,” says AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair. “Even at low speeds, these things can happen.”

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration estimates car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants less than 1 year old and 54% for toddlers aged 1 – 4 years old in passenger cars.

“It doesn’t take a lot of speed for a child to be hurled through a vehicle. They’re very light usually so they’re going to take flight more than a full-sized adult,” Sinclair says.

AAA and the National Safety Council recommend children under the age of 1 remain secure in the back seat and in rear-facing car seats. Children ages 1-3 should remain rear-facing as long as possible and then forward-facing with a harness and tether and children aged 4-7 should be in forward-facing seats and boosters until they’re big enough to fit into seat belts properly, according to the National Safety Council.

Children are required in all 50 states to be properly buckled and restrained in vehicles.

Eastern Pike Regional police have not named the driver yet but say he’s facing charges and tickets for unsafe driving and marijuana possession, which is illegal in Pennsylvania.

Authorities say an adult in the car was determined to be the kids’ parent, and that the group was held until they had car seats and proper transportation.

Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services were notified, according to police.

For a list of free AAA child safety inspection dates and locations click here.