Eddie Espinoza, 62, faces child abuse charges after police say his 7-year-old granddaughter broke out of a hot car with a mallet at a Colorado Walmart, where interior temperatures topped 150 degrees, while he shopped inside.
The July 6 incident happened at a Walmart Neighborhood Market at 850 E. 88th Avenue in Thornton, according to local ABC affiliate KMGH.
The Thornton Police Department released a photo showing Espinoza’s car with the front passenger window smashed after the girl allegedly used a mallet to shatter it and escape.
Officers responded to the Walmart after a report of a child locked inside a vehicle. Though outside temperatures hovered around 90 degrees, firefighters reportedly estimated that the interior of Espinoza’s car reached over 150 degrees while he shopped inside the store.
Police say the child sat in the car for at least 20 minutes before she began overheating and used the mallet to break free. Bystanders helped her out of the vehicle after she smashed the window, then waited with her for first responders to arrive, KMGH reports.
First responders treated the child for minor injuries from the broken glass while officers interviewed Espinoza and took him into custody at the scene. He allegedly admitted that he left his granddaughter in the car while he shopped inside the Walmart.
The National Safety Commission reports at least 12 pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) deaths in the U.S. so far this year. An average of 37 children younger than 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in vehicles, according to the NSC.
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