Hatzalah, Shmira, Shomrim, Chavivim, Chaveirim Warns: Be Alert When Exiting Your Vehicle

By FrumNews.com

As a heat wave cooks up New York and New Jersey for the third time this summer, heartbreaking stories of Jewish children being left in cars r”l are being reported.

Our community emergency response organizations — Hatzalah, Shmira and Shomrim, Chavivim and Chaveirim— from the tri-state area are alerting of the dangers of leaving a child in a car r”l following a string of tragic incidents.

On Monday, the Lakewood Frum community was heartbroken to hear that a two-month-old baby passed after being accidentally left in a hot car. On Tuesday, Chaverim broke the window of a car parked in the Rockland parking lot to rescue a child who was left inside. Fortunately, the child survived and is in stable condition.

Hatzalah of Central Jersey said in its PSA, “With our area facing a record-setting heatwave, Hatzolah reminds you to look before you lock and never leave a child in your car. Pause to look back every time you leave your car. And if you see a child alone in a hot car, take immediate action.”

It’s easy to forget that car temperatures can reach drastic levels in hot summer weather. When temperatures reach the high 90s outside, the car’s interior can heat up to more than 180 degrees, according to AAA.

Leaving a child alone, even for two minutes, can—and is—life-threatening.

AAA also says a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s body and that it takes just 15 minutes for a child left inside a hot vehicle to suffer life-threatening injuries.

The National Safety Council says the number of child hot car deaths for 2023 was 29. So far, in 2024, 11 deaths have been reported. On average, 37 children under the age of 15 die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle.

An Askun told FrumNews.com that, “this issue has seriously hit our communities nearly every summer season, especially now during an intense heat wave.”