Plea Deal For New York Dad In Twins' Hot Car Deaths

NEW CITY, NY — The father of of Luna and Phoenix Rodriguez, 1-year-old twins who died in July when he left them forgotten in the car while he went to work, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and was sentenced to a 1-year conditional discharge, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced Tuesday.

"Juan Rodriguez left his one-year-old twins in the back seat of his car for hours while he went to work," Clark said in a statement. "The children were strapped in their car seats throughout the hot summer day, with no windows open. These babies suffered horribly and we owed them a thorough investigation. This was a tragic, unfortunate incident. I hope that as the sweltering weather is upon us, caregivers will be extra vigilant about children in vehicles."

Rodriguez, 39, of New City, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree Reckless Endangerment, a misdemeanor, before Bronx Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Rosenblueth via video. Judge Rosenblueth sentenced the defendant to a one-year Conditional Discharge.

The Hudson Valley resident had originally faced charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

A clinical social worker and a disabled veteran, Rodriguez worked at the VA Medical Center in the Bronx. According to the investigation, on the morning of July 26, 2019, he drove there with his one-year-old twins in his Honda sedan. Police said Rodriguez told them he had forgotten they were there after he dropped another child — a 3-year-old — off at day care.

He arrived at his job at the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 8:22 p.m. and left work at 4:02 p.m.

After driving for two blocks, Rodriguez discovered his two children unresponsive in the backseat.
The defendant called his wife, then called 911. Reports said he was screaming.

First responders declared the twins dead at the scene.

According to the investigation, the temperature inside the vehicle where the twins were left reached more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Chief Medical Examiner ruled the twins died of hyperthermia. The body temperature of both children was recorded at 108 degrees Fahrenheit.

SEE: Automakers Under Pressure To Curb Hot Car Deaths