A California toddler passed away Monday after being left inside a hot vehicle in El Centro.

The El Centro Police Department reported that officers reached the scene at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Monday, near the 700 block of Woodward Avenue, where they discovered an unresponsive victim inside a vehicle that had been left unattended.

The Calexico Chronicle reports that first responders rushed the child to El Centro Regional Medical Center, where the victim was pronounced dead.

Police arrested the child’s father, identified as Jose Hernandez, 37, of El Centro.

The Sacramento Bee reports that Hernandez had left the child in front of his home “for a long time,” while temperatures reached 106 that day.

“This marks the 4th Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH) incident in California and the 22nd in the United States this year. As of this same date last year, there had been 28 PVH incidents,” stated Jan Null, CCM, an Adjunct Professor of Meteorology at San Jose State University, in an email to CrimeOnline.

Anyone with any additional information about the case is urged to contact Detective R. Gabat at 760-352-2111.

The story is developing. Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo: Pixabay]