A 2-year-old child died after being left in the backseat of a hot car in Hallandale Beach, Florida, while under the care of a babysitter, police said — a tragedy that unfolded just miles from where another toddler died in similar circumstances a week earlier.
The child, whose name has not been released, was brought to a hospital by the babysitter early Sunday afternoon and was described in 911 audio obtained by WSVN as “unconscious and not breathing.” The incident came as dangerous heat spread across much of the country.
According to the Hallandale Beach Police Department, the vehicle had been parked outside the babysitter’s home. Police said they were notified of the child’s death by the hospital.
Authorities have not yet said how long the toddler may have been inside the car. Temperatures in the area reached 90 degrees Sunday, with heat index values nearing 100 degrees, the National Weather Service reported, according to the Miami Herald.
Police said the investigation remains active. The Florida State Attorney’s Office will review the case and decide whether the babysitter will face any criminal charges.
The child’s death left neighbors shaken, including Theresa Ogden, who said she could not understand how someone entrusted with a young child could leave them behind in a vehicle.
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“I couldn’t get over that,” Ogden said. “It’s just unbelievable. How can you just get out of your car and not know that you have a baby?”
“An innocent baby,” she added. “It’s awful.”
Hallandale Police Chief Michel urged “every parent, grandparent, guardian, babysitter, and caregiver to make it a habit of checking the back seat before locking your vehicle.
“A simple routine, such as placing your phone, purse, or another essential item in the back seat, can serve as a reminder and help prevent an unimaginable loss. One last look can save a child’s life,” he said in a statement provided to The Post.
Sunday’s death happened less than 20 miles from a daycare center where a father left his 18-month-old son in the back of a car just a week earlier.
The dad mistakenly thought he dropped the boy off at A World of Discovery Academy, an early childhood education center in Plantation, and went to work — and only found the child dead hours later in the backseat when he went to pick him up and realized he wasn’t there.
That death also remains under investigation.
Four children have died in hot cars in Florida so far this year, with Sunday’s death marking the 10th nationwide, according to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety, which tracks such incidents.
