Toddler dies after dad forgets him in a hot car for hours in Florida

A two-year-old boy dies after being left in a hot car for hours.

James Fidele said that he forgot the child was in the vehicle.

The incident occurred in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

FAMILY TRAGEDY! In the midst of extreme heat in Florida, a father left his two-year-old son inside a car for hours while he worked inside his home. According to authorities, the boy’s father got distracted and forgot his son was in the back seat.

In Florida, cases of children dying in hot cars continue to happen and authorities remind parents to be vigilant so they don’t suffer a similar tragedy.

The 2-year-old died after spending hours in a hot car

Photo: Shutterstock

A two-year-old boy died Monday of heat stroke after having being left in the backseat of a car for hours in Port St. Lucie, on the Atlantic coast of Florida. His father said that he forgot the child was there. James Fidele has been arrested. There were record high temperatures in the area that day, according to EFE.

Local media reported that the father was arrested for the child’s death. Fidele said he dropped off his other children and didn’t realize he’d left his 2-year-old in the back seat until he went to get a package hours later.

What happened?

Photo: Twitter

Port St. Lucie police said the boy’s father, James Fidele, 37, called 911 after realizing several hours later that he had forgotten to get his son out of the car when he got home, according to WPBF.

Fidele called the authorities around 1:17 p.m., when he discovered his son unconscious in the back seat of the car. The incident occurred in the 1700 block of Southwest Aires Lane and Port St. Lucie Police are investigating.

“This is a very unfortunate incident”

Photo: Twitter

First responders performed rescue and resuscitation measures before transporting the child to a hospital where he later died, according to EFE. Police spokesman John Dellacroce said the situation was «tragic».

«This is a very unfortunate and tragic incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family during this difficult time,» said Sergeant John Dellacroce, local police spokesman, according to EFE.

Could it have been intentional?

Photo: Getty Images

Fidele said that he dropped his other four children off at school and returned home around 8:15 a.m. He went to look for a package he’d left in the car at about 1:15 p.m., reported WPFB.

A search warrant verified that there was a rear seat reminder safety alert in the SUV that Fidele was driving. Nearby Ring camera video also showed that Fidele had «no urgency» when removing his son from the vehicle, police said, according to WPFB.

Fidele was arrested for his son’s death

Photo: Twitter

Fidele was arrested for the crime of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, a case that was also reported to the Florida Department of Children and Families. It was 91 degrees Fahrenheit (32.7 degrees Celsius) on Monday at the New York International Airport, Miami (MIA). This surpassed a record of 88 degrees set on March 6, 1965, the Miami Herald reported.

That record had only been reached once on March 6, 2003. According to the United States National Safety Council (NSC), an average of 38 children die each year after being left behind in vehicles at high temperatures.