Mom arrested after bystander rescues baby alone in hot car

Good Samaritan breaks car window with baseball bat

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 2-month-old baby girl who had been left alone in a hot car in a Lowe's parking lot was rescued Tuesday by a bystander who broke a window with a baseball bat and rushed the child inside the store to cool her down, police said.

The child's mother, Zoya Thomas, 30, was arrested and charged with child neglect, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. She was released on a bond of $5,003.

Police said it was 85 degrees Tuesday afternoon when Thomas parked in the middle of the lot on Atlantic Boulevard in direct sunlight and went inside the store, leaving her sleeping daughter alone with the car turned off and the windows barely cracked. She told police “she did not want to disturb her sleep.”

While she was in the store, a man walking by noticed people standing around Thomas' Chevy Malibu looking through the closed windows, police said. He told police that he looked inside and saw the infant sweating profusely. He said she was screaming, crying and appeared to be in distress, so he broke the front right passenger window with a bat so he could get her out.

The man told police the child was covered in sweat, so he ran her into the store to cool her down and waited for police to arrive.

A representative with Safe Kids Northeast Florida said the good Samaritan saved the girl's life.

"As a parent, it is very disturbing to hear that a child was in distress," Lesley Seaton said.

Thomas told police that she had been in the store for about five minutes to check on paint colors, but police said a review of surveillance video showed her leaving the car at 12:49 p.m. and the good Samaritan running into the store with the child at 1:07 p.m., 18 minutes later.

Police said the child's car seat and clothes were soaked in sweat.

“Always take your child out of the vehicle. Never leave your child in the car, even for a minute,” Seaton said.

WATCH: How hot can it get inside a car?

Seaton said it’s important that everyone is on the lookout and willing to be a hero if they see a child in distress.

“Take action,” Seaton said. “If you do see a child in the vehicle, take action. Always call 911 and if you need to, get into the vehicle, because the child is in distress.”

The officer who arrested Thomas called the Department of Children and Families and after the baby was checked out by EMTs and released, a DCF employee took custody of her.

Jacksonville police offered some tips to prevent children from being left alone in hot cars:

  • Look before you lock. Open the back door and look in the backseat to assure that everyone is out of the car (even if you think you are childless).
  • Keep something you need in the back seat. Put your cell phone, briefcase, computer, lunch, ID badge, left shoe or anything essential to your daily routine beside your child.
  • Travel with a furry companion. Keep a stuffed animal in the car seat. When baby is in the seat, the stuffed animal rides shotgun. The furry passenger serves as a reminder that baby’s in the back.
  • Always lock the doors. Even if the car is in the garage, keep the doors locked to prevent curious children from getting into the car.
  • Put the keys and fobs away. Kids might want to play with keys and be able to get into the car without parents' knowledge.
  • Have a plan with childcare provider. If your child does not show up to daycare or school without prior notice, someone should call to locate the child.
  • If you see something, do something. If you see a child alone in a car, do not hesitate to call 911.

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