Couple climbs through sunroof to save toddler locked in hot car in Hingham: ‘No time to wait’

HINGHAM, Mass. — Hingham Police say they’re thankful for the couple who helped save a toddler from a hot car.

Police say the couple pulled into a spot at the Whole Foods on Derby Street Monday afternoon when they heard a baby screaming for her mother.

“I stepped out of my car, you know, like a kind of muffled but loud cry, scream, and so I looked at the car next to me and there was no one in the front seat and I did peak in the backseat and that’s when I saw the little girl,” said the woman who jumped to help.

This woman, who wants to remain anonymous, says she had just pulled into the Whole Foods with her fiancé when they saw a toddler alone in a hot car, visibly distressed.

“You could see that she was full of sweat, very hot, so we took no time to wait it was an immediate 911 call,” said the woman.

While the couple waited for police to arrive, they noticed the sunroof was open, so they jumped up and went through the sunroof to unlock the car and get the baby out.

“She did you know, calm down immediately once she was out of the vehicle, but she was very hot,” said the woman.

“The temperature was 73 outside, the sun was beating on the car, all the windows were up, only that sunroof, so you talk about a car that heats up quick in the sun,” said Lt. Steven Dearth with the Hingham Police Department.

Hingham Police say a child should never be left alone in the car no matter the temperature outside.

“She intentionally left the child in there to nap while she shopped,” said Lt. Dearth.

Police believe the toddler was left alone in the car for at least twenty minutes while the mother shopped.

Officers transported the child to the hospital to get checked out and they’re thankful for these bystanders who jumped to help.

“These people did the right thing that we would hope most people would do was look into it, not be afraid to get involved and say this is a child that needs some attention,” said Lt. Dearth.

Police say the heat wasn’t the only concern here.

“If they could go in and get the baby out and rescue, someone could easily go in and cause harm to the baby so a 22-month old should not be left alone in a car like that, plain and simple,” said Lt. Dearth.

Police say the mother of the child could face charges for reckless endangerment.

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