Florida toddler left in ‘sweltering’ car while dad shopped for Mother’s Day gift: police
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A 3-year-old who was left in a “sweltering” car for 31 minutes is lucky to be alive after her dad left her in the vehicle as he shopped, according to NBC affiliate WPTV.
Surveillance footage from inside the grocery store shows Fernandez entering the store alone last Saturday.
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WPTV said a witness noticed a child alone in a car at a Sam’s Club, located on 45th Street in West Palm Beach, opened the door, and then called police.
The 42-year-old dad, Raul Ernesto Rielo Fernandez, ran back to his car when he noticed emergency vehicles, telling officers with the West Palm Beach Police Department, that he forgot his daughter was in the car.
According to an arrest report obtained by WPTV, Fernandez said “he had a lot on his mind for Mother’s Day shopping and just forgot” his child in the vehicle.
“When our officers got there she was profusely sweating, she was red, she was flushed and she was crying,” Mike Jachles with the West Palm Beach Police Department said.
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The child was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation but her condition is unknown.
“What happens to me I don’t care, most important thing is my daughter is OK,” Fernandez said.
According to WPTV, Fernandez was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and leaving a child unattended in a car but has pleaded not guilty to those charges. He has since been released on his own recognizance, WPTV reported.
“There’s no excuse, this is 100% preventable, this could have been a much worse tragedy,” Jachles said.
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