Toddlers Trapped In Car On 105-Degree Day Rescued By Las Vegas Man

A Las Vegas man helped save the lives of two children trapped inside a hot car on a boiling summer day Tuesday. Gene Littleford was on his way into the Las Vegas Animal Foundation that afternoon when he heard what sounded like children screaming.

Littleford attempted to look around the parking lot, but could see no children outside, he told KTNV Wednesday. Instead, he noticed a car parked close by him with the doors locked and the windows only opened a crack.

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Two toddlers were in the backseat. The air temperature was around 105 degrees Fahrenheit in Las Vegas that afternoon.

“I was appalled, because who does that?” Littleford told KTNV. “Why would anyone do this? I’m the father of four kids. I would have never left my kids in the car for any reason! But she didn’t even have the consideration to leave the car running with air conditioning on.”

Littleford immediately called 911 and said he was prepared to break the windows, but officers arrived on the scene before he was even able to hang up the phone. The children were rescued from the car and evaluated — both were fine thanks to Littleford.

The inside of a car heats up quickly on a mildly warm day. On a 105 degree day, temperatures can exceed 120 degrees inside the vehicle in a matter of minutes. A child can get heat stroke after being inside a car for just three minutes on an 80-degree day, according to AAA. When the core body temperature reaches 107 degrees, internal organs shut down and brain damage can begin. More than 700 children have died of heatstroke since 1998 from being left inside vehicles, according to NoHeatstroke.org.

The mother of the toddlers was arrested at the scene.

"With the desert heat like it is out here, I've seen it happen before," Littleford told KVVU. "I've seen it happen before. Kids die within minutes. I can't imagine anybody doing that to their children. Their whole life depends on the decision of the parent, and if the parent makes a bad decision, they pay the price."