SPRINGFIELD, Va. — A 5-year-old Virginia boy died Tuesday after being left in a hot car, authorities said.
According to a tweet from the Fairfax Police Department, the child was found unresponsive in a car in Springfield.
Lt. John Lieb, a spokesperson for the Fairfax Police Department, said the child was being taken home with his siblings when he was left in the vehicle, WUSA reported. It is unclear what caused the child to be left behind or how long he was in the vehicle, the television station reported.
Officers are in the 6700 block of Grey Fox Dr in Springfield after a child was left in a car and found unresponsive. The child was taken to a hospital and was pronounced deceased. Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau are responding. #FCPD pic.twitter.com/6u7vzPD1F8
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) August 10, 2021
Lieb said officers performed CPR on the unconscious child, who was then taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead, WRC reported.
The heat index in Springfield and the Washington, D.C., metro area soared past 100 degrees on Tuesday, according to the television station.
“Our heart breaks for this family,” Lieb told WUSA.
According to a news release from KidsandCars.org, the child’s death was the 12th hot car fatality nationwide this year and the first in Virginia.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there have been at least 883 child hot car deaths in the U.S. since 1998, WJLA reported.
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