A NJ police officer saved a little girl from her mother's minivan, parked in a Costco parking lot yesterday afternoon. One passer-by, Rafael Rodriguez, who attempted to free the girl, said: "I was trying to force my way into the window but I couldn't get my arm through. The child was hot and sweaty and crying."

According to WABC 7, an employee at the Hackensack Costco told Bergen County Sheriff's Officer Rich Carrion about the child. Carrion ended up breaking a window to rescue the girl, and another officer, Sonya Beiker, removed her and tried to comfort her.

Rodriguez filmed the rescue—which includes the mother arriving a minute later, pushing her groceries with another child inside. He said, "I believe this is not the first time that she's done this, because she took her older child with her that was maybe 4 or 5 years older, and the fact that she left the four windows cracked open. She knew what she was doing when she did it, and this time she got caught."

Child Left in Hot Car by Mother Shopping in Costco!

I found #Child left in hot car by mother shopping at #Costco, #Police Broke Window, Mother arrives late with other child, Hackensack New Jersey - Video Recorded by Arisleyda Pena - Yo encuentre Niña dejada en el coche caliente por su Madre estaba de compra en Costco , Ventana Rota por Policía , #Hackensack de Nueva Jersey #ChildLeftinCar #WorldStar #Univision #Telemundo #Noticias #CNN #ViralVideo #Youtube #Google #ChildAbuse

Posted by Rafael Rodriguez II on Thursday, July 30, 2015


The mother tells Carrion and Beiker, "Sorry," but Beiker yells, "No sorry! She could've died!" The mother, Chaeyoung Lim-Kim, was charged with child endangerment.

The tragic phenomenon of forgetting a child in the backseat of the car has prompted public awareness campaigns as well as efforts to create technology to help remind parents not to leave their kids in the car.

Animals are also victims of being left in hot cars; the ASPCA has pointed out, "On an 85º day, it only takes ten minutes for the inside of your car to reach 102º, even when the windows have been left open an inch or two. Within 30 minutes, the car’s interior can reach 120º. When the temperature outside is a pleasant 70º, the inside of your car may be as much as 20 degrees hotter."