Young Child In Hot Car With 6 Others Calls 911 For Help

A 4-year-old stuck in a hot car in Maryland with six other children called 911 to plead for help, according to law enforcement.

Police quickly arrived at the St. Charles Towne Center on Friday to free the children, who were “sweaty and scared ,” reported ABC affiliate WJLA-TV .

“Officers helped the children out of the vehicle and Charles County Fire and Emergency Medical Services provided treatment on the scene,” said a statement from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office .

Police arrested a 37-year-old woman who returned to the car some 10 minutes after authorities arrived.

She was the mother of two of the children and was babysitting the other five, according to Charles County deputies. The children ranged in age from 2 to 4 years old.

The 4-year-old child apparently used a phone left in the car to call 911 — but he was unable to tell a dispatcher where the car was parked. Police traced the call to the mall parking lot, authorities said.

The woman left the children in the car with the windows rolled up for at least 20 minutes, police said. Outdoor temperatures in the area climbed to around 80 degrees on Friday but were likely far higher inside the car.

The mother claimed she just ran into the mall to use the bathroom, but ABC-7 reported that police obtained mall surveillance footage showing her “browsing for shoes” in a store.

The woman has been charged with illegal confinement in a motor vehicle and may face additional charges.