Police Arrest PG County Woman For Toddler In Hot Car: Report

BALDWIN, NY – A 31-year-old Prince George's County woman has been arrested after police say she left a 2-year-old boy inside a blistering hot car in a Long Island parking lot over the weekend.

According to Nassau Police, a 911 call came in at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday from a person who saw a child alone in a vehicle with the car off and windows closed at 1745 Grand Ave. in Baldwin.

Once on the scene, it took officers about 15 minutes to get into the car and remove the boy, who was "sweating profusely," police said.

Officers then put the child in their air conditioned car while awaiting an ambulance.

Soon after, Digna Argueta Gutierrez returned to her vehicle and was placed under arrest. The toddler was then transported to an area hospital with his father who responded to the scene.

Argueta Gutierrez, of Beltsville, Maryland, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and will be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead Monday.

A heat advisory was in effect Sunday morning and the temperature was about 85 degrees when the 911 call came in. Cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131-172 degrees when outside temperatures are 80-100 degrees, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Story by Patch editor Ryan Bonner

NCPD provided photo