Dad Left 2 Boys Inside Hot Car In NJ Walmart Parking Lot, Police Say

SECAUCUS, NJ — A French national was charged with child endangerment last week after police say he left his two sons, ages 9 and 6, in a locked car in the parking lot of the Secaucus Walmart.

This happened Friday, Aug. 7: That was day 2 of a six-day heatwave for New Jersey, which is still ongoing. The entire state was under a heat advisory Friday and outdoor temperatures peaked at 93 degrees that day.

Secaucus Police were called to the Walmart parking lot at 12:37 p.m. Friday: Witnesses called 911 reporting that two children, later identified as 9- and 6-year-old boys and the man's sons, were left unattended in a vehicle parked in the lot. The children appeared to be in distress from the heat when police got there, said Police Chief Dennis Miller

The boys' mother was present and tending to them when police got there. It became known that she went into Walmart to use their WiFi and left the children with their father in the car. However, he later joined the woman in the store, leaving the boys in the car.

The kids had been left unattended in the vehicle for approximately 13 minutes. The car was not running and all its windows were up, said police. Temperatures within the vehicle at the time of police arrival were determined to range from 129-154 degrees Fahrenheit, Miller said.

The boys were offered to be evaluated by the town's local EMS squad, but Miller said he was not sure if they accepted.

The man, 48 and a French citizen, was placed under arrest and charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (2C:24-4A(2)). His name was not released by police to protect the identify of his sons. He was released on a summons to appear in Secaucus town court.