Dad of baby left in hot car 'berated' by crowd

A father who allegedly left a nine-month-old girl alone and wailing inside a parked car this morning in Oakville, Ont., returned from his shopping to be confronted by an angry crowd, Halton Regional Police say.

Concerned citizens who found the girl sweating profusely and crying at a Home Depot parking lot called police. Officers arrived at the scene around 10 a.m. ET and witnesses said the child had been left in the vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes while her father was purchasing food.

The father rushed back to his vehicle when the store he was shopping in made an emergency announcement about a child inside a hot car. Upon getting back to the parking lot, "he was berated by a group of angry individuals," Halton police said in a release.

Emergency services checked the child's health and her mother took custody of her.

The Children's Aid Society is investigating the incident along with police. Police say charges have not yet been laid.

Police and public health officials are warning parents that internal temperatures in vehicles can soar in the summertime months. During a summer day, internal temperatures can rise to 50 C in as little as 10 minutes.

Both Toronto and York Region issued heat advisories earlier today.

Earlier this month, the grandmother of a two-year-old boy in Milton, Ont., was charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life after the child was found dead inside a locked car.

Also this month, a three-year-old Edmonton girl died after climbing into the back seat of a hot SUV. Police said there was no evidence that the girl had been trying to struggle to get out of the car. The death was ruled non-criminal.

Officials continue to urge anyone who spots a child alone inside a hot car to immediately alert police.