The first arriving officer came upon the vehicle, where he was met by the father, who stated his son was locked in his vehicle. The officer, observing the child in the back seat and, at this time, not being able to determine how long the child was in the car, took immediate action and broke the vehicle window. The child was alert and conscious when he was removed from the vehicle. In doing so, he was able to safely remove the child, who was then quickly turned over to Nanuet Community Ambulance and Rockland Paramedic personnel that were on scene. The child was then transported to Montefiore Nyack Hospital for further evaluation. The child was inside the vehicle for approximately 15 minutes prior to being rescued.

Upon further investigation by the officer, it was determined that the father had returned to his vehicle to retrieve his wallet. While doing so, he placed the child in the backseat while he searched the trunk. The father closed the trunk and quickly realized that he had locked his son inside the vehicle. After futile attempts to gain entry to the vehicle, he ran to get help. We would like to thank all of the bystanders on scene, who offered assistance during this event. There was deemed to be no criminality in this incident.

The Clarkstown Police Department would like to remind everyone of the dangers of leaving children or pets in hot vehicles. On warm days, the temperature inside a car can rise by 20 degrees Fahrenheit in just 10 minutes, and children can heat up 3 to 5 times faster than adults, making them particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. In 2021, 23 children tragically lost their lives due to heat-related deaths in vehicles in the U.S. Pets, too, face serious health risks from heat exhaustion. Please help keep our community safe by never leaving children or pets alone in vehicles, even for a short time, and if you see someone in distress, contact emergency personnel immediately.