Stranger rescues 2-year-old children trapped in hot car in Oklahoma City
Police arrested a mother after she allegedly left her two 2-year-old daughters in the back seat of a hot car while grocery shopping at Walmart.
According to KCCO, the incident happened on Sunday at an Oklahoma City Walmart Supercenter. The mother entered the store on her own at 2:22 p.m. She walked out forty minutes later to find her car encircled by cops.
According to police, a stranger noticed two 2-year-old girls unconscious in the back of the car and intervened. The girls were in their car seats as temps outside approached 100 degrees.
“Actually, forced their way into the sunroof, unlocked the doors, got the kids out of the car. They were lethargic at the time,” said Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Gary Knight.
A Walmart security officer loaded the children into her air-conditioned vehicle.
According to police, the store made multiple intercom notifications, reiterating the vehicle’s license plate number, but no one ever came out.
“It doesn’t matter how important your errand is; those kids are the most important thing, or at least, they should be,” said CEO Joe Dorman of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
He advises not to hesitate if you see a youngster stuck in a hot car.
“They are not only well within their right to go through the car, even if it damages the car; I would say it’s encouraged to make sure those kids are safe. For a parent or guardian, just to think they would leave their kids in a car on a hot day like that, it’s just astounding,” he said.
The toddlers are expected to be fine, according to police. They are now in the care of relatives.
Their mother is facing two child neglect complaints.
