Dog Baked in Hot Car While Owner Ate in Restaurant: Police

Joliet, IL — A man left his dog in a hot car while he was inside a restaurant eating.

A Joliet police officer was sent to the 2800 block of Plainfield Road at 4:09 p.m. July 17 for a report of a dog locked inside a 2001 Chrysler Town and Country.

According to Joliet Police Department Deputy Chief Ed Gregory, the temperature was at least 83 degrees out at the time. The feel-like temperature was over 90 degrees.

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The owner, Jaime Caraballo, Jr., 44, of the 200 block of Eastern in Joliet, was eating inside the Osaka Hibachi Grill & Sushi Restaurant at the time and was paged to come out to the car.

“The window was slightly cracked less than an inch,” Gregory said. After waiting for the owner to return, the officer used a slim jim to unlock the vehicle and let the dog out.

When the officer got the dog out of the car, it was wet and scared, Gregory said.

Caraballo eventually made his way back to the car and was given a $300 citation for cruelty to animals.