News footage shows the St. Petersburg, Florida, neighborhood where police say Ly Thien Pham left her baby inside a vehicle (WFLA).
A Florida mother has been released on bond after authorities accused her of leaving her 1-year-old child alone in a sweltering car for roughly 30 minutes while she picked up an Uber Eats order.
Ly Thien Pham, 40, is facing a child abuse charge after police say she left her 1-year-old son unattended in her vehicle while working as an Uber Eats delivery driver in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate WFLA, Pham had taken the child with her to pick up an order from a restaurant around 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Investigators said she parked, left the boy in the backseat and went inside. Local CBS affiliate WTSP reported that Pham shut off the engine, leaving the child without air conditioning, while the vehicle’s hazard lights remained on.
After leaving the restaurant, Pham allegedly told police she could not remember where she had parked.
The St. Petersburg Police Department said Pham became disoriented after collecting the food order and spent time walking through the downtown area in search of her car. Nearly half an hour after the child was left alone, officers helped her locate the vehicle, authorities said.
When police found the boy, they said he was sweating heavily. He was taken to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital for medical treatment, while Pham was booked into the Pinellas County Jail. The child was later placed in the care of his aunt.
Online court records show Pham posted a $10,000 bond on Monday and was released from custody. A judge also ordered her not to contact the boy’s aunt about the child. Her next court appearance was not listed.
