A disturbing scene unfolded in Phoenix on Thursday afternoon when four young children were discovered inside a parked car with no air conditioning in the middle of extreme heat, while their father was inside an adult store for nearly an hour, according to police.
Officers were called around 3:40 p.m. to a lot near 24th and Washington streets after a worried passerby reported a non-running car with several children trapped inside. Police said the windows were completely rolled up.
When officers reached the vehicle, they immediately removed the children and gave them water. The temperature inside the car had climbed to about 125 degrees, and police said all four children had internal temperatures near 100 degrees. The kids showed signs of serious heat exposure, bright red skin, heavy sweating, and crying.“
They easily could’ve died. It’s unbelievable,” said Sgt. Rob Scherer of the Phoenix Police Department.The children were taken to a hospital as a precaution and are expected to recover. Their father, 38-year-old Ascencio Largo, was arrested inside the store. Police said he had been in there just under an hour. When confronted, Largo first denied the car belonged to him.
He now faces eight felony charges. Court records reveal there was only one booster seat in the car, no proper car seats for the others, and officers said Largo smelled of alcohol. His driver’s license also requires an ignition interlock device, which prevents a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected.
The Department of Child Safety is now investigating.
Authorities reminded the public that a closed car can heat up by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, and children’s bodies warm much faster than adults’. Vehicular heatstroke remains one of the leading causes of child deaths in the U.S.Phoenix police urge parents: never leave a child alone in a vehicle, not even for a minute.
