A family is speaking out after they say their four-year-old son escaped from a supervised play place in West Vancouver’s Park Royal Mall.
Brady Point had been dropped off by his parents at the mall’s Castle Royale Indoor Play Ground on Saturday.
A person found him in the food court and called his mom, whose number was written on his bracelet issued from the play place.
“So he went behind the counter where all three of the people (employees) were standing, grabbed his shoes from there, put them on and walked out the gate,” mom Kelli Bouzovetsky told Global News.
Children can be left at the play place for up to two hours on their own. Castle Royale’s website states that staff monitor the entrance to ensure no children leave without being picked up.
Brady’s parents don’t know exactly how long their child was lost, but thankfully, someone helped him.
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“She said she was in the food court,” Bouzovetsky said. “I was like, ‘But he’s supposed to be at the play area,’ and I just started running there.”
Castle Royale and Park Royal management did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.
“They pretty much blamed him,” Bouzovetsky said.
“They were like, ‘Well, he must have walked out. I was like, ‘Exactly. But he’s four, he shouldn’t be allowed to walk out.’”
Brady’s parents filed a police report with the West Vancouver Police Department.
In a statement, they say a call involving a child is something they take very seriously but that there does not appear to be any evidence of criminality.
Brady’s parents hope this is a wake-up call for others using the drop-in shop service.
“Put some protocols in place,” Bouzovetsky said. “Watch the kids. There’s three of them there and I don’t think any of them were watching them, obviously.”
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