Drunk Driver Injures Four Elementary School Students While Serving a Suspended Sentence
“I will never drive again.”
The man easily broke the promise of remorse that he had made during his trial.
On June 24, the Saitama Prefectural Police rearrested Hongpeng Deng (43), a Chinese national working in demolition and living in Misato City, Saitama Prefecture, on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act by driving without a license. He is accused of driving a luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) despite not possessing a driver’s license. The offense was allegedly committed while he was serving a suspended sentence.
“Deng had also been caught driving the same SUV without a license in May of last year. The vehicle crashed into a line of elementary school children walking home from school, injuring four of them. At his trial in November of the same year, Deng was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years. Even though he stated that he would never drive again, he repeated the offense, leading to his latest arrest,” explained a reporter covering the justice system for a national newspaper.
“FRIDAY Digital” previously reported in detail on the incident in May of last year in which Deng injured several elementary school students. The following is a look back at the circumstances of the case and the astonishing excuses he offered.
“The other party said they were fine.”
“I had been drinking beer.”
This was the explanation reportedly given to investigators by the man whose vehicle struck a line of schoolchildren and injured four of them.
On May 18, 2025, the Yoshikawa Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested Deng on suspicion of negligent injury under the Automobile Driving Punishment Act and violating the Road Traffic Act by fleeing the scene of an accident.
“The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on May 14. An expensive SUV driven by Deng collided with a line of about ten elementary school children who were on their way home from school. Four boys were injured, including an 11-year-old sixth-grade student who suffered an avulsion fracture in his right foot.
Although Deng got out of the vehicle, security camera footage and recordings from several dashboard cameras showed that he failed to provide appropriate aid and fled the scene. Investigators determined that he had been drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages at a Chinese restaurant in Misato City from early afternoon until shortly before the incident. It is believed that he fled because he feared being caught for drunk driving,” said a reporter from the social affairs section of a national newspaper.
Deng turned himself in at the Yoshikawa Police Station four days after the incident, on May 18, accompanied by an acquaintance. After confirming that he had been drinking, the police changed the charge to negligent injury while evading detection of alcohol impairment. During questioning, Deng denied that he had fled the scene and offered the following explanation:
“There’s no doubt that I hit them, but the other party (the injured child) said they were fine, so I simply left.”
Mika Yanagihara, a journalist specializing in traffic accidents, explained:
“Drunk driving is, of course, a serious crime. Fleeing the scene of an accident is an extremely malicious act that carries severe penalties. Victims who might have been saved through prompt treatment, such as calling an ambulance, can lose their lives if aid is delayed because the driver runs away.
It is extremely difficult to protect children from accidents caused by reckless drivers. Installing guardrails only in front of schools is not enough. More comprehensive measures, such as school bus transportation like that used in the United States, may be necessary.”
On the same day as Deng’s rearrest on June 24, the Koshigaya branch of the Saitama District Public Prosecutors Office indicted him on charges of violating the Road Traffic Act.
PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo