Bystanders rescued a crying toddler from a hot car in Massachusetts after crawling through the vehicle’s sunroof. A couple called 911 on September 1, 2025, after discovering a young child alone inside a car parked next to theirs at a Whole Foods grocery store in Hingham, CBS News Boston reported.
The vehicle’s engine was off and the doors were locked, according to officers. However, the sunroof was open — so one of the pair climbed through it to unlock the door and rescue the 22-month-old.
When the Hingham Police Department arrived, the child was “hot and profusely sweating,” according to a news release from police shared via Facebook. Officers attempted to cool the toddler down by placing the child in the front seat of their air-conditioned cruiser. The young child was taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance; information about the toddler’s condition was not provided.
The incident happened about 2:30 p.m. when the temperature outside was approximately 73 degrees. As the police department noted in its news release, however, “vehicular heatstroke can happen when outside temperatures are below 70.”
Reportedly, the child’s mother, 44, was shopping at several nearby stores. She told officers that her 22-month-old was napping and she had checked on the child while shopping. “Officers found the mother had last checked on the car 20 minutes earlier before returning to shop,” the release noted.
A criminal complaint application has been filed at Hingham District Court against the mother, a Brockton resident, for reckless endangerment of a child, the news release shared. Her name was not released because she has not yet been formally charged.
