Newly released police body camera footage from Georgia captures the intense moment Cobb County officers sprang into action after a 911 call reported two young children left inside a sweltering car outside a suburban mall.
Body camera footage captures moment police save children
“I am standing outside of the Dick’s at Cumberland Mall, and there are two children in a car by themselves — small kids crying,” the concerned caller told dispatch.
“The windows are cracked, but I don’t think that’s right. And we just came out of Dick’s, and I heard kids crying.”
The June 4 incident quickly escalated when officers arrived on scene and found the children sweating inside a locked vehicle.
The outside temperature had climbed to 87 degrees, but an infrared thermometer revealed the interior of the car had soared to a staggering 117 degrees.
The caller estimated the little girl to be around one year old and the boy about two.
Body camera footage shows officers making the snap decision to break the window to reach the distressed children.
“Break it!” one officer is heard shouting. Moments later, glass shatters, and officers quickly unlock the car and begin the rescue.
Officers seen soothing children on body camera footage
“Hey, kiddies!” one officer says gently as he tries to soothe the crying children.
The officer, visibly moved by the child’s condition, said, “Oh, you’re hot,” while lifting one of the children from the back seat.
The second child was also pulled from the car as officers worked rapidly to ensure their safety.
Roughly 30 minutes after the dramatic rescue, police arrested J’quawn Dixon. Authorities charged him with second-degree cruelty to children.
According to WAGA-TV, Dixon was booked into the Cobb County Jail with bond set at $10,000. He was released the next day on $10,000 bond.
The Cobb County Police Department credited the bystander who made the initial emergency call.
“A big THANK YOU to the concerned citizens who called 911,” the department wrote on Facebook.
“Your quick action is the reason these kids are safe today. You saw something and did something, and that made all the difference.”
While the Georgia case ended with a life-saving rescue, a similar situation on the West Coast had a far more devastating outcome.
Mother face manslaughter after child’s hot car death
Authorities in California arrested a young mother in Bakersfield after one of her children died from being left in a hot car for hours. Officials say she was inside receiving a cosmetic procedure.
Police allege that 20-year-old Maya Hernandez abandoned her one-year-old and two-year-old sons inside a 2022 Toyota Corolla while she went into a med spa for a lip filler appointment on June 29, according to ABC30.
During the time she was inside the clinic, the outside temperature climbed to 101 degrees.
Hernandez reportedly told police she left the car running with the air conditioning set to 60 degrees.
She claimed to have left her children with snacks, drinks, and a cellphone to keep them occupied.
When she returned to the car around 4:30 p.m., she found her youngest child, Amillio, suffering what appeared to be a seizure. She attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and called 911.
The child was transported to the hospital with a body temperature of 107 degrees and later pronounced dead at 5:48 p.m.
Documents reviewed by ABC30 reveal that Hernandez told investigators she believed the car would stay on.
She said she had previously remained in the vehicle for extended periods without issue.
However, police say the Corolla had a feature that automatically shuts off the engine if left unattended for an hour, potentially leaving the children without air conditioning for at least 90 minutes.
Hernandez admitted to police that she did not check on the children from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A nurse at the med spa reportedly told investigators that Hernandez had inquired ahead of time if she could bring her kids and was advised they could wait in the lobby.
When she arrived, she made no mention of having children with her, and she did not bring them inside.
She later told police she was “concerned about the time.” Authorities say her procedure lasted just 15 to 20 minutes.
Her older son, who had a body temperature of 99 degrees and was able to eat and drink, was evaluated at the hospital and later placed in protective custody.
Police charged Hernandez with involuntary manslaughter. Her bail was set at over $1 million, and she remained in custody as of Tuesday. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
The children’s father, who is incarcerated on unrelated charges, was informed of the tragedy by a jail chaplain the following day.
