A Colorado man willfully crashed his car in an effort to kill his 2-year-old son, he told investigators.
The toddler, who was unrestrained in the vehicle, suffered a concussion and broken leg but is expected to recover.
Nathan Weitzel, 29, was charged with attempted murder and is being jailed on $500,000 bail in connection with the Aug. 21 wreck in Centennial.
“The reason he wanted to kill Isaiah was because being a father was a big responsibility and he did not think he was man enough to raise a child,” cops said.
“He’s in the place that he should be,” says Isaiah’s mother Nancy Lopez. “He needs to be in jail for a long time.”
Weitzel told investigators he took his son to play in a park before the crash and thought of ways he could kill him. He reportedly drove around looking for a good location to end his son’s life.
When he believed he found one, Weitzel put his own seat belt on but did not put his son in the child seat.
After the accident, witnesses said Isaiah was “fading in and out of consciousness,” according to the station. A neighbor who called 911 said it looked like Weitzel was “hitting the child … it looked like an elbow. It was horrifying,”
Thankfully, people in the area came to Isaiah’s aid before other help arrived to prevent further injury.
The boy had been spending weekends with his father, according to the station. He was supposed to be taken back to his mother the day of the wreck.
“He used to be a really good climber,” Says Lopez. “He loves to play and run around. He can’t walk now; he’s not going to be walking for another two months.”
A GoFundMe page was created to raise funds for Isaiah’s recovery.