5-year-old dies in hot car in Ohio as U.S. sees second child heat death in a week
A 5-year-old boy died in Mansfield, Ohio, after being left inside a vehicle Thursday. It’s the second hot car child death reported in less than a week, as extreme heat grips much of the U.S.
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A 5-year-old boy died after he was left inside a vehicle in Mansfield, Ohio, Thursday afternoon. Mansfield police Chief Jason Bammann confirmed the news to the Mansfield News Journal.
"We took a call of a small child," Bammann said. "Detectives are actively working on the case. What a horrible tragedy this is. I'm at a loss for words."
Temperatures reached the upper 80s in Mansfield on Thursday afternoon. This is the second hot car death reported over the past week. A 4-year-old died in a hot car on Sunday, June 22, in Metter, Georgia.
The child had been reported missing, and a neighborhood search led to the discovery of his body inside a vehicle. Candler County Coroner Jamie Anderson told WSAV that the boy was pronounced dead at the scene. No foul play is suspected.
Temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s on Sunday afternoon, but it could have been significantly hotter inside the vehicle. When it’s 95 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can reach nearly 130 degrees when the vehicle is sitting in the sun.
These latest cases serve as a reminder of the dangers posed by hot vehicles. Experts urge caregivers to keep vehicles locked when not in use and to take extra precautions to ensure no child is left behind.
Most of the hot car deaths, 55%, occur when a caregiver unintentionally leaves a child in a vehicle. About one-in-four fatalities are like those from Metter, when a child gains access to a hot vehicle.
Nine children have died in hot cars so far in 2025, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Last week, police in Corona, California, acted fast to rescue a baby left alone in a hot vehicle. Police said a thermal device registered a temperature of 110 degrees inside the vehicle around the time that they smashed a window to gain access and retrieve the infant. The child is expected to recover.
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