Anaheim Woman Cited After Baby Is Found in Hot Car

Five children -- the youngest 10 months old -- were taken into protective custody Monday afternoon after their mother was cited for leaving them in a car unattended, Anaheim police said.

The 31-year-old Anaheim woman, Araceli Contreras, was cited for child endangerment. A court appearance will be scheduled by week’s end, Sgt. Rick Martinez said.

Contreras had driven the children to a 99¢ Only store on Lincoln Avenue, Martinez said. The 10-month-old boy was sleeping, so she left him in the car, locked the doors, rolled up the windows and left the sunroof cracked open.

About 20 minutes later, a store employee was told a child had been locked in a car, Martinez said. The employee jimmied the car open through the sunroof and took the “hot and sweaty and crying” baby into the office.

“We all hear horror stories of kids who have been left locked in vehicles and how they can end up dying,” Martinez said. “It was a very lucky thing that an observant store employee acted so quickly.... Who knows what could have happened in a matter of minutes?”

Forty-five minutes after she left, Contreras returned to her car and saw that her son was missing, Martinez said. She then locked her other four children, ages 2 to 6, in the car and began searching for the 10-month-old.

Police, called by store employees, placed the children in Orangewood Children’s Home. A hearing will be held to determine if they will be returned to their home.

Martinez said it is against the law to leave young children in cars. The high temperature Monday in Anaheim was 75 degrees.