Florida deputy smashes window to rescue 1-year-old locked in hot car

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Florida deputy shatters car window to rescue toddler from hot, locked vehicle

A Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputy rescued a 1-year-old from a locked vehicle with the engine off and all windows closed in Palm Coast on May 20, 2024. 

Bodycam footage captured the moment a Florida deputy smashed a car window to rescue a 1-year-old who was accidentally locked inside a car without its engine running.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. outside a Palm Coast Walmart on May 20, Flager County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) said. When deputies arrived on scene, a man and woman were standing outside a Nissan Altima. The man said he had placed the toddler in the car and had gone around to the other side before realizing the door was locked, and the keys were locked inside.  

The man and woman told responding deputies that the child had been in the car for eight to 10 minutes prior to help arriving. According to FCSO, the child was observed "sweating and appearing to be in distress." Deputy Christian Harrison immediately said he needed to smash the window to get the child out of the car. The child's mother can be heard saying, "No, no, no," as he tells her, "I have to. She's been stuck in there."

Harrison used his agency-issued shatter balls to break the passenger's back window. After cleaning off the rest of the window with his collapsible baton, the child was retrieved and found to be OK after being assessed by fire department paramedics. 

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The moment deputies arrived on scene they noticed a man and woman outside a Nissan Altima in a Palm Coast Walmart parking lot. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

"Although this was an accident, I would like to take this time to remind parents of the dangers of leaving a child in a parked car at any time, especially if it is not running," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a department Facebook post. "Heatstroke can happen very quickly, even if it does not seem that hot outside. Remember, if it has a heartbeat, do not leave them in your car." 

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Deputy Christian Harrison used agency-issued shatter balls to break the window in order to get to the child. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

The 1-year-old girl was checked out by paramedics, and deemed OK. (Flagler County Sheriff's Office)

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While on the scene, a criminal uniform traffic citation was given to the man for attaching an unassigned tag/registration decal. The citation is unrelated to the child being locked in the car, FCSO told Fox News Digital in an email.