It would be heart-wrenching to watch news about children suffering their demise due to neglect and abuse.
Yet, according to a 2019 survey, about 1,840 children passed away due to just that.
Thankfully, this child didn’t.
A retired police sergeant has been hailed a local hero after rescuing a four-month-old baby from a hot car.
What exactly happened?
According to former police sergeant Steve Eckel, it was a hot day, almost 120 degrees.
He was waiting for his daughters who were inside Kohl’s shopping when he and another woman in the area heard a baby crying.
The other Good Samaritan, a Howell resident, Sara Mazzone, came with Eckel to investigate.
Both were in shock as they saw a little baby girl bawling her eyes out crying, and screaming for help.
The baby was all alone in a locked car, sweating, and shaking; her face was already red.
His parental instincts kicked in.
He remembered he had a sledgehammer at the back of his car.
Eckel ran back to his car, grabbed the sledgehammer, and broke the car window on the other side.
“I almost started to cry, I got really emotional at that point,” he said in an interview with CBS News.
A father of six
Being a father of six himself, Eckel was furious about what happened.
Even if you’re not a parent, it would be obvious that you can’t leave a baby, or even a child, alone in a hot car.
In just a few minutes, even a grown adult would have a hard time breathing.
According to authorities, the mother, along with her two older kids, were inside Kohl’s shopping for over 40 minutes.
Can you imagine what would have happened if Eckel and Mazzone didn’t see her?
After some time, she came back to the car and saw the broken window and when she peeked inside; she panicked and screamed,
“Oh my God, where’s my baby?”
A police offer talked to her and asked if she was the mother, and she said yes.
Soon, after explaining what happened, the police arrested the child’s mother, 33-year-old, Karen Gruen.
Charges to come
They later charged her with endangering the welfare of a child.
“She should plead guilty and get probation and realize you just can’t do this,” Eckel said, while still holding the pink onesies.
While still in disbelief, Eckel felt happy because the baby was okay and safe.
In his long years of being a police sergeant, Eckel has seen so much and being able to see that baby smile and healthy is something he treasures.
“I do believe in guardian angels, and I think I’m the one for this child,” Eckel said, thankful that the baby was saved.
According to news reports, they gave the baby and her siblings to their father. They also released Karen, but they expected her to be in court hearings.
This incident is not uncommon.
Many babies and kids lose their lives in hot cars. Some parents and caretakers think it’s okay to leave their kids for a minute inside a hot car.
This is never okay.
Learn more about this father’s heroic actions in the video below!
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