Tragedy strikes again: 2 children die after being left in hot car in New York City, 1 in Florida

By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer

Heartbreaking stories continue to surface of young children being left in hot cars this summer.

On Friday, July 26, a pair of 1-year-old twins were tragically killed in Kinsbridge, a village of the Bronx in New York, after being accidentally left in their car seats while their father was at work. The pair of fatalities plus the fatality of one child in Florida brings the total number of vehicular heatstroke deaths now up to 24, according to kidsandcars.org, a nonprofit organization that works to promote safety initiatives related to children and pets in and around vehicles.

Juan Rodriguez, the father of the twins, was arraigned on charges of manslaughter, negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child, according to CNN, which cited the New York Police Department.

Rodriguez entered a not guilty plea and posted bail, which was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. Upon his release, Rodriguez was met by family and friends who were at the courthouse to support the grieving husband and father. His wife, Marissa, released a statement of support asking for privacy.

“Though I am hurting more than I ever imagined possible, I still love my husband,” Marissa Rodriguez said in a published statement. “He is a good person and great father and I know he would’ve never done anything to hurt our children intentionally… I will never get over this loss and I know he will never forgive himself for this mistake. This is a horrific accident, and I need him by my side to go through this disaster.”

According to the medical examiner, the children’s bodies were 108 degrees when found. A memorial has gone up in the Bronx where Rodriguez pulled his car over after realizing his children were still strapped into their rear-facing car seats.

“Temperatures were in the low to mid-80s much of the day on Friday, topping out around 88 degrees,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Thompson said. “The sun was shining pretty much all day long, with just scattered clouds in the afternoon.”

RELATED: 
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperature scale explained 
What does extreme heat do to the human body? 
Heat exhaustion vs. heatstroke: What are the warning signs and how should you react? 
Humidity, storms to surge in western US as heat eases in California

The tragic story in the Bronx came after another pair of children had to be saved by a police officer smashing a car window in Perkins Township, Ohio, on July 20. The emergency call to save those children was made by the mother when the woman realized that her car locks had malfunctioned and the keys were left inside.

According to Kids and Cars, there are an average of 38 cases of child vehicular heatstroke deaths per year. Last year’s total of 52 deaths was the most fatalities in a single year, according to the site.

Earlier this year, in May, seven kids were rescued by police officers in Charles County, Maryland, thanks to a 911 call from one of the kids inside the vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office, the call was made by a 4-year-old after his mother left his sibling and five other kids she was babysitting in the car at a shopping center in Waldorf. The mother was charged with confinement of children inside a motor vehicle.

In July, another baby was rescued in Lincolnwood, Illinois, by the Lincolnwood Fire Department when the child’s parents called for help after accidentally shutting the car door with the keys inside. The temperature inside the car was recorded at 112 degrees, firefighters said.

Download the free AccuWeather app to know how high temperatures will soar in your community. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.