Meridian mother arrested, accused of leaving child alone in hot vehicle
A Meridian mother was arrested over the weekend after police say she left her 2-year-old child alone in a locked vehicle.
Officers responded to the parking lot of an Idaho Pizza Company off of Fairview Avenue in Meridian around 7:45 p.m. Sunday after a bystander reported seeing the child crying and visibly sweating inside the vehicle, according to a news release from the Meridian Police Department. An employee of the restaurant was able to open the vehicle’s door and remove the child as officers arrived at the scene, police said.
First responders immediately provided medical care to the child, who was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, according to the release. The vehicle’s internal temperature was measured at over 130 degrees.
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The child’s mother was arrested on suspicion of felony injury to a child and booked in the Ada County Jail, according to online jail records.
Police said this incident was “a critical reminder that as temperatures rise,” the inside of a vehicle can become “dangerously hot” in just a few minutes.
“It is never safe to leave a child or pet in a parked car, even for a short time,” the release said. ”We urge all community members to take extra precautions during warmer months and to call 911 immediately if they see a child or pet left unattended in a vehicle.”
This story was originally published May 26, 2025 at 12:38 PM.
