A New York City couple has been arrested on charges of reckless endangerment for allegedly leaving their 1-year-old boy alone for an hour in a locked car at a jewelry store parking lot on Long Island a day ago, police said Wednesday.
The baby was left sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle in Manhasset shortly before 3 p.m., as temperatures hit highs around 80 degrees amid stifling humidity. At some point, he woke up and started to cry.
Surveillance video located in the parking lot shows the couple parked their car around 1:48 p.m. They returned to check on the baby at 2:17 p.m. and again at 2:21 p.m. At 2:35 p.m., someone noticed the baby.
A woman walking by saw the baby alone, crying and sweating and tried to open the vehicle door. She couldn't get it open and called police while a second witness tried to use a lock-out kit to get inside. That didn't work either.
The baby appeared to be in distress when responding officers arrived at the scene, officials said. They broke a window and pulled out the child, who was said to be red in color and drenched in sweat, according to police. They brought the baby into a store immediately to help him cool down in the air conditioning.
The child was then taken to a hospital for evaluation and is expected to be released.
His parents, 34-year-old Jingcai Zhou and 28-year-old Lu Lu of Queens, were arrested. They face a charge of child endangerment in addition to the reckless offense.
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