2-year-old boy left in vehicle dies in New York

Experts and advocacy groups are encouraging caregivers and parents to follow precautions and safety advice to prevent a tragic heat accident.

In July, several young children across the country have died after being left in hot cars during a prolonged heat wave that has gripped much of the US in recent weeks.

The incidents include a 2-year-old in New York, a 2-month-old in New Jersey, a 5-year-old in Nebraska and a 2-year-old in Arizona, all of whom died in the past week, according to the advocacy group Kids and Car Safety. In total, there have been at least 12 fatal crashes involving children in hot cars nationwide in 2024.

Higher than normal temperatures have put millions of Americans on heat alert this summer, and local officials have repeatedly warned residents about the dangerous effects of extreme heat. These high temperatures can pose health risks, especially to vulnerable populations, and put children at risk.

Safety experts have said temperatures inside a vehicle can rise quickly — up to 68 degrees within the first 10 minutes — leading to potentially deadly incidents. Children left unattended in parked vehicles are at “the greatest risk of heat stroke and possibly death,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On average, about 40 children die each year from heatstroke in a car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Since 1990, more than 1,090 children have died in hot cars in the U.S., according to data collected by Kids and Car Safety.

“Approximately 88% of children who die in hot cars are 3 years old or younger, and the majority (55%) were unknowingly abandoned by an otherwise loving, responsible parent or caregiver,” the advocacy group said in a press release Wednesday.

Tips to avoid a summer tragedy: Children dying from overheated cars can happen in any family.

At least four children have died since July 9 after being found in vehicles during the heat wave.

A 2-year-old died Tuesday night after being left in a car in Monticello, a town about 64 miles west of Poughkeepsie, New York. The Times Herald-Record, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that police officers responded to a 911 call of a child in cardiac arrest in a vehicle outside an apartment complex around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers, firefighters and emergency medical services attempted to resuscitate the child, but their efforts were in vain.

On Monday, authorities said an 8-week-old girl died after being left in a hot car for an “extended period of time” in Lakewood, New Jersey, a township about 38 miles west of Trenton. The Asbury Park Press, also part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that police responded to a call about a baby in cardiac arrest at about 1:45 p.m. Monday.

Police found that first responders tried to save the child, but she died at the scene, Ocean County District Attorney Bradley D. Billhimer said. Authorities determined that the child’s time in the car cost her her life, Billhimer said.

The baby’s father, Avraham Chaitovsky, 28, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed, Billhimer added.

In another incident, a 5-year-old boy died in Nebraska on July 10 after he was found unresponsive in a vehicle, Omaha police said. “At this time, it appears the child was left unattended in a vehicle for an extended period of time,” police said in a news release.

The boy’s foster mother, Juanita Pinon, 40, has been charged with child abuse by neglect resulting in death and is being held at the Douglas County Correctional Center, police said. NBC News reported that the child was left unattended in the vehicle for about seven hours while Pinon was at work.

An Arizona man is charged with second-degree murder and child abuse after his 2-year-old daughter was found unresponsive in a hot car on July 9. Court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Tuesday allege the man was “distracted playing video games” and “frequently” left his three children alone in a car.

Christopher Scholtes, 37, was putting away groceries and playing video games after leaving the toddler in the car for hours outside the family’s home in Marana, a town about 100 miles south of Phoenix. The child was later found “still strapped into her child restraint system” and was subsequently pronounced dead at a hospital.

Number of deaths due to heat waves? Don’t trust them. The real toll is higher.

The deaths came amid a prolonged heat wave in recent weeks that has scorched many parts of the country. The heat wave has set dozens of records, including breaking all-time heat records in the first five days of July in more than 50 cities in California and Nevada, AccuWeather reported.

According to heat.gov, more than 106 million people from the West Coast to the East Coast were under heat warnings on Wednesday.

While authorities and experts have noted that heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, the number of heat-related deaths in the U.S. has increased every year. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were approximately 1,602 heat-related deaths in 2021; 1,722 in 2022; and 2,302 in 2023.

Experts and advocacy groups encourage caregivers and parents to follow precautions and safety advice to prevent a tragic heat accident:

Place a visual cue, such as your child’s diaper bag or other item, on the passenger seat to indicate that your child is with you.
Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
Make it a routine or habit to check the backseat and door every time you park. To enforce this, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the backseat.
Make sure vehicles are always locked, especially when parked.
Never leave your keys within reach of children.
Ask your childcare organization to call you immediately if your child does not arrive at the agreed time.

“It is important for everyone to understand that children are more vulnerable to heatstroke and that all heat-related fatalities in cars are preventable,” heat.gov said.

Contributions from: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY; Ken Serrano, Asbury Park Press; Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald-Record