Couple Arrested After Leaving Baby In Hot Car To Shop: Police

MANHASSET, NY — A Flushing couple has been arrested after locking their baby in a hot car while they went shopping at the Americana Manhasset, police said.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot of the luxury shopping center. The couple — identified as Jingcai Zhou, 34, and Lu Lu, 28 — parked their Mercedes Benz at 2046 Northern Blvd. and left their sleeping 1-year-old son alone in the back seat, according to Nassau County police.

"The vehicle was locked and not running," Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said. "One window was left open about an inch."

Passersby saw the infant crying and sweating, but couldn't get inside the car, police said. That's when one of them called 911.

When officers arrived, they smashed the window and removed the wailing baby from the hot car. They then entered an air-conditioned store so the child could cool off.

Ryder said the parents admitted to leaving their child in the car, but set two 25-minute alarms on their phones to check on him. An investigation by police concluded that the baby was left unattended for 59 minutes.

The baby was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and is expected to be released, according to police.

"If it was not for those civilians, and not for the actions of our officers...there's no doubt in my mind that the child would be in critical condition at the hospital right now," Ryder said.

Zhou, a salesman, and Lu, a flight attendant, have been charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to police. They are set to be arraigned on Wednesday at Nassau County District Court in Hempstead.

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• Child Left In Locked Car At Americana Manhasset: Police