Northridge : Probation for 2 Who Kept Kids in Hot Car

The thermometer at 1:15 p.m. on July 14 read about 110 degrees. The red 1986 Isuzu sat baking in a shadeless parking lot in front of the Strouds store on Corbin Avenue in Northridge. The windows of the Isuzu were rolled up, except for a two-inch crack on the driver’s side window.

Two youngsters, ages 18 months and 3 years, were locked inside the broiling car, lying on the floor and back seat.

Someone saw the two kids and informed Titia Newton, a manager at Strouds, that the children appeared to be unconscious and trapped in the car, with no parents in sight. Newton yelled through the windows at the children, but they did not respond. When a security guard opened a door, Newton said she felt a wave of searing heat blast her.

“It must have been close to 120 degrees in there,” Newton said. “It was one of the hottest days we’ve had. The babies were unconscious.” Strouds employees brought water, but it took several minutes to revive the youngsters.

The parents appeared after they were paged over the store intercom, then quickly drove off. Police intercepted and arrested them about a block away. Paramedics transported the children to a hospital, where they were held overnight.

On Monday, Theresa Hernandez, 32, of Canoga Park, and the children’s father, Luis Filiberto Hernandez, 27, were convicted of child endangerment. They were sentenced in Van Nuys Municipal Court to perform 100 hours of community service. The couple also were given three years probation and ordered to undergo parenting classes, according to Mike Qualls of the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.