Lots of folks passing along this news out of Southern California, where a couple faces child endangerment charges after allegedly leaving their 3-year-old daughter inside a hot parked car outside an Orange County shopping mall.
Orange County Parents Accused of Leaving 3-Year-Old in Hot Car
Police were called when witnesses spotted a small child alone inside a locked vehicle parked outside the Brea Mall on Sunday afternoon. Officers showed the girl how to unlock the doors. According to police, the outside temperature was 91 degrees, while the temperature inside the van was 104 degrees. Thankfully, she was okay.
The parents, 33-year-old Ho Kim and 35-year-old Tae Kim, were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment.
The toddler was found about 4:45 p.m. Sunday in a black Nissan Quest van parked outside the Brea Mall after someone saw her and called police, according to the Brea Police Department.
The girl was in the car about 15 to 20 minutes, police said.
Police told the girl to unlock the van, which she did just before they were about to break one of the windows. She was taken to a hospital and in good condition as of Monday.
"When you get somebody in that kind of heat, your body goes into a mode where it's trying to cool down and you become dehydrated very very quickly," Brea Police Lt. Bill Smyser said. "When the body becomes dehydrated, it basically starts shutting down, and that's when somebody can actually come into comatose or death."
More here: Neighbors React To Couple's Arrest In Leaving 3-Year-Old Daughter In Hot Car