3-month-old left in hot car while mom got her nails done, California police say

A California mom was arrested this week after leaving her baby in a hot car while she got her nails done, according to authorities.

Vallejoo police said they investigated a report of a child being left in a hot car, according to a news release. When authorities arrived on Tuesday, they found a 3-month-old infant sitting in a car seat in the back of the car with all of the windows rolled down.

It was about 81 degrees and a group of people told police what they had seen, authorities said.

Officials said they found Selena Cook, 19, of Vallejo, the mother of the baby, in a nail salon in the shopping center, and she told them she was getting her nails done and her child was left in the car for 30-45 minutes.

Cook was arrested on a charge of child endangerment, and the baby was taken to a hospital to be evaluated and turned over to Child Protective Services, police said.

“One of the most fundamental responsibilities we have as parents is to protect and care for our children above our own needs,” Chief of Police Shawny K. Williams said, according to the release. “As a parent, it was extremely disheartening to know that a 3-month-old was left in a hot car unattended and defenseless.”

At least 1,000 children have died across the U.S. in hot cars since 1990, according to KidsAndCars.org. The organization reports 14 deaths so far this year.

Researchers found that temperatures inside a car parked in the sun on a day that was 95 degrees reached an average of 116 degrees Fahrenheit within one hour, LiveScience reported.

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 12:21 PM with the headline "3-month-old left in hot car while mom got her nails done, California police say."