Police arrested a California mother Wednesday after officers said she left her 3-year-old son alone in an SUV for an hour during hot weather, according to multiple reports.
A passerby spotted the boy alone in an idling Toyota RAV4 around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday and called police, KNBC and KTLA reported.
Temperatures at the time were in the mid-90s, according to the National Weather Service.
The mother, who was not identified, told police that her son was sleeping when she parked at the Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center for a doctor's appointment, The Press-Enterprise reported.
She left the SUV's doors unlocked and the air conditioning running while she went to her appointment, police told KTLA.
"Even when it's running and it's comfortable in there, it's unlocked and there's a chance of the car being stolen, or something happening to the child," police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback told KNBC.
Police said they found the boy sleeping, but unharmed in the RAV4. Officers told KTLA that the 24-year-old mother could face felony child endangerment charges for the alleged incident.
Police continue to investigate.
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