Charges Added & Held Against NJ Father Who Stepped Over Dying Son’s Body Following Crash

A father who stepped over the body of his unresponsive 2-year-old son to flee following a crash last month will head to trial.

Following a Tuesday morning preliminary hearing, District Judge Robert Wagner held charges of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death, retail theft, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangering a child, disobeying traffic control signals, driving while operating privilege is suspended and reckless driving against Christopher D. Kuhn, 27, of Hamilton, New Jersey. The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office added DUI related charges Tuesday against Kuhn after his blood came back positive for drugs shortly after the crash along Route 13 in Tullytown.

According to authorities, Kuhn fled the Levittown Walmart after stealing a $228 sound system with his young son tossed in the back of his gold Jeep SUV on October 3. He walked from the store after the theft and told a Walmart loss prevention officer they “can’t hold me here.”

Kuhn took the license plate off his Jeep and fled out of the Levittown Town Center onto Route 13. At the intersection that nears the old Sonic at the shopping center, the intoxicated on drugs and adrenaline 27-year-old former substitute teacher ran a red light and wrecked his SUV. Two other vehicles were struck and the Jeep with the 2-year-old boy, Qadan, flipped before coming to a stop, police said.  

Among the debris from the crash, Qadan’s little body laid in the road as sirens wailed to toward the scene. Kuhn, according to prosecutors, got out of his car, looked down at his son’s body and ran away.

Tullytown patrolmen rushed to the scene. Along with bystanders, they tended to the little boy and others chased down his father.

Officers tried CPR to save Qadan’s life and worked with medics to take him to Lower Bucks Hospital. NBC 10 reporter Deanna Durante noted that it was stated in court that a police officer took the wheel of the ambulance so several medics could work in the back to save the boy’s life.

Qadan was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Kuhn was not initially cooperative with police and was crying during his preliminary arraignment hours after the crash.  

Kuhn pleaded guilty in a relatively minor 2014 drug-related case in Morrisville and was sentenced to probation. He was also accused of holding a screwdriver to the mother of his son in 2016.

Qadan’s mother, Mackenzy Trievel, was not in a relationship with Kuhn at the time of the boy’s death. She attended court and did not speak with reporters.

After the preliminary hearing, Kuhn was transported back to prison on $5 million bail.