Naperville boy hurt after jumping from towed car

A 4-year-old Naperville boy was slightly injured after jumping from a vehicle that was being towed along Indian Trail Road, Aurora police said today.

Workers apparently didn't know the boy was inside the car when they towed it, police said.

Police said they received a call around 7:30 p.m. Thursday from a Naperville man who was visiting a home in the 1600 block of Briarheath Drive on Aurora's northeast side.

The Naperville man, who had been driving a relative's vehicle, told police the car was being towed while the boy was still inside.

The relationship between the man and the child, who share a Naperville address but have different last names, is unclear, police said.

Apparently, the pair had gone to the Briarheath home to pick up another child, police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said.

What happened next also is unclear, but the boy apparently was left alone in the car. Meanwhile, two employees who had been contracted to repossess the 2004 Ford Excursion arrived at the vehicle, police said.

After looking in the front windows and thinking it was empty, they attached the car to a tow truck and left, unaware the boy was in the back, authorities said.

The boy did not appear to be hiding, police said.

As the worker was heading west on Indian Trail near Mitchell Road, he received a call from his partner, who was following him, that a child had jumped from the SUV. He immediately pulled over.

The boy suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from an Aurora hospital, police said.

The incident appears to be an accident, officials say, but police still are investigating. No charges have been filed.

It's not known how fast the truck was going on Indian Trail, but officials say traffic in the area was congested because of construction.