Bystanders rescue 22-month-old screaming, profusely sweating, in hot car, Brockton mother facing charge

Hingham, MA – A Brockton mother is facing a charge of Reckless Endangerment of a Child after leaving her 22-month-old alone in a hot car.

On Monday, at 2:30 p.m. Officers were sent to the Whole Foods parking lot at 94 Derby St. for a report that a child was left alone in a car. A couple who had parked next to the car heard a child screaming for their mother. The child was in a car seat in the back seat. The windows were all closed, the engine was off, and the sunroof was open. The couple called 9-1-1. Seeing the child in distress, the couple climbed into the sunroof, unlocked the car, and took the child out while Officers were responding.

Officers arrived and the child felt hot and profusely sweating. They put the child in the front seat of the air-conditioned cruiser until Hingham Fire Paramedics arrived and took the child into the ambulance. The mother returned to her car and told Officers the child was napping and that she was checking on the child in between shopping at several stores. The child was taken to South Shore Hospital by ambulance.

At the time the weather was sunny and the outside temperature was 73 degrees making the interior of the car significantly hotter. Officers found the mother had last checked on the car 20 minutes earlier before returning to shop.

A criminal complaint application was filed at Hingham District court against the mother, a 44-year-old Brockton resident, for the charge of Reckless Endangerment of a Child. Her name was not released because she has not been formally charged. A court hearing date has not been set.