‘Director of evening shift at Hardee's detained after five-year-old dies in play area’

AMMAN — Five-year-old Eizziddin Al Hirsh passed away on Monday evening in a supposedly safe place for a child — the play area in a branch of a fast-food restaurant chain.

The family of the child was dining at a Hardee’s branch during Eid Al Fitr when they noticed that their child, who was playing along with his sibling, was missing, according to a security source.

After more than an hour’s search, Eizziddin was found dead due to an electric shock while in the play area and was then taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival, Public Security Department Spokesperson Maj. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times.

Following the incident, the northern Amman prosecutor issued orders to arrest the director of the evening shift at the restaurant on Tuesday pending further investigation, he said.

Meanwhile, the restaurant’s branch in which the incident took place was closed, and the family of the deceased child accepted a “confession atwa”, a truce that entails acknowledging the wrong doing on the part of the restaurant.

The importance of atwa, according to tribal traditions, is derived from its ability to obligate both parties to refrain from violence until a final reconciliation is reached.

The Jordan Times could not reach the Hirsh family members for comment over the incident despite several attempts to contact them and their lawyer.