Baby was drenched in sweat inside car as man shopped for 30 minutes, SD cops say

A man shopped for a half hour while leaving an 8-month-old baby alone in a hot car, South Dakota authorities say.

The Sioux Falls Police Department said a witness heard the baby crying in a locked car around 2:35 p.m. July 14.

The car was not running and had one window only slightly opened, police said. The witness went inside the store to get a manager, who came outside and reached their hand into the car to unlock the door and remove the child.

Officers said the baby was “quite sweaty,” so much that it looked like the infant had just gotten out of a bath.

A 46-year-old man, whose relationship to the child is unclear, came outside and said he was only in the store for a couple of minutes, according to police.

Surveillance footage refuted his story, police said, as it showed he had left the baby alone for 31 minutes.

Temperatures reached 89 degrees in Sioux Falls on July 14, according to National Weather Service data. It was the hottest day in the city in 10 days.

The baby was taken to a hospital for testing before being released to their mother, police said.

Authorities said the 46-year-old man, from Brookings, was charged with abuse or cruelty to a minor under the age of 7.

Hot Car Deaths

More than 1,000 children have died in hot cars since 1998, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

“About 37 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car. During the summer, that’s about two children every week killed in a hot car.”

Hot car deaths are most common in the summer, but they can happen at any time, according to the administration. The first “vehicular heatstroke” of the year typically happens in March.

“Leaving a window open is not enough — temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes, even with a window cracked open,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, officials said you should make sure the child is responsive and if not, immediately call 911.