2-Year-Old Girl Dead After Parents Left Her In Hot Car For More Than Seven Hours

A 2-year-old girl has been reported dead after her parents allegedly left her in the back seat of a hot car for more than seven hours in Franklin Township, New Jersey on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

The unnamed 2-year-old child, who was reportedly left unsupervised inside a vehicle in the heat for more than seven hours, was found unresponsive inside the parked vehicle at around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30, outside a Franklin Township home. The toddler was confirmed dead after officers opened the doors to the car, NBC New York reported.

The child's parents reportedly did not realize that their toddler had been left unattended in the car for several hours. The parents found out about the tragedy only after law enforcement knocked on the front door of their home and informed them about the discovery of the young girl's body.

"They were just screaming in pain and anguish. She collapsed to the ground and he went to console her," said a neighbor who witnessed the tragic turn of events. "They’re great parents. I’ve seen them be very loving and doting on their daughters."

Another neighbor revealed that the child's mother had to be taken away in an ambulance to a nearby hospital after she collapsed on the front lawn upon hearing about her toddler's death, New Jersey 101.5 reported.

"How can that happen? How do you forget? I guess we’re all forgetful, I’ve forgotten things in the car. But how do you forget the toddler, you know? I don’t know," said one neighbor Alex Krstavski.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Frank Roman revealed that it remains unclear if the vehicle was locked or unlocked at the time of the discovery. The car was towed away hours later.

According to data provided by the organization Kids and Car Safety, there have been 22 hot car deaths across the U.S. in 2022 alone. Last year, about 23 children in the U.S. died of vehicular heatstroke, according to data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"This is the kind of tragedy that doesn’t discriminate. It has to do with a failure of the brain’s memory, in many cases," said Sue Auriemma, who is with the group Kids and Car Safety. "Unfortunately the worst mistake a parent can make is thinking this can’t happen to them."

An investigation into the tragic incident is currently underway.