Shoppers Break Windows, Rescue Kids In Hot Car

Shoppers at a strip mall in Katy, Texas smashed the windows of a Jeep with two children baking inside, likely saving their lives, Newsmax is reporting.

Gabriel del Valle, who was nearby at the time, recorded cell phone video of the incident, which has since been posted on Youtube.

Gabriel told Houston’s KHOU that he came out of his shop when he heard the kids crying from inside the vehicle. Other shoppers on the scene heard the cries and rushed to the children’s aid, breaking a window with a hammer and crawling in through the window to unlock the door from the inside, according to Examiner.

It was a crazy situation. The kids were in there crying. I mean you would understand. It’s real hot.

Related: Toddler In Hot Car: Woman Shops 40 Minutes On 92-Degree Day While Daughter Sits In Car (Inquisitr)

According to The Root, the children’s mother, who had left the kids in the hot car while she got a haircut, appeared on the scene and begged onlookers not to call the police, saying she had made a “terrible mistake.” The kids were unharmed.

The problem of inattentive parents leaving their children in hot cars has gained attention this summer, thanks largely to the high-profile case of Justin Ross Harris, and his wife Leanna, whose son, Cooper, died after being left in a hot car while his father “sexted.” Currently, Ross is in jail awaiting trial on charges of child cruelty, among others, and more charges may follow. Cooper’s mother, Leanna, has (as of this post) not been charged with a crime, but may be charged, or compelled to testify against her husband, or both.

Related: Leanna Harris, Mother of Toddler Baked In Hot Car, Faces Scrutiny (Inquisitr)

“There is no safe amount of time to leave children alone in the car,” Dr. Nathan Allen, Emergency Medicine physician at the University of Chicago, tells Web MD. And Marshall Brain, founder of How Stuff Works, warns parents on his website that the interior of a car can easily reach 130-140 degrees in as little as ten minutes.

So what should you do if you see a child locked in a hot car? Barry Curtis, of the Houston Police Department, tells KPRC that the first thing to do is call 911 (or the emergency code in your country). Then, he says:

Then get that child out. Use anything that you have available to break that window.

Have you ever seen a child or an animal locked in a hot car? What did you do? Let us know in the comments.

Image source: Auto Shopper