Rescuers Go Above And Beyond During -- And After -- Island Heights, N.J. Hot Car Rescue; 'She Couldn't Believe It'
ISLAND HEIGHTS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- First responders in Ocean County stepped up during a time of emergency to help a family when a child got locked in a car on a hot day.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reported Monday, their efforts didn't stop there.
Patrolman Rocco Mellot with the Island Heights Police Department was dispatched to River Avenue for a frantic mother who accidentally locked her 2-year-old in the car last week.
"That temperature that day was in the 90s," Mellot said. "We had to make quick decisions."
Luckily, she had parked in the shade, but still, things were heating up fast.
The First Aid Squad was also on the scene.
"It was just purely an accident," said Island Heights EMT Gary Stocco.
"We made absolutely every effort, but we were about 20 minutes in at this point with the child in the car. Conveniently, we were watching her the whole time. We could see she was sweating," said Island Heights First Aid Squad Interim Chief Scott Greenfeld.
So Officer Mellot had to break the window. The child was checked out, and healthy.
"You felt bad because the mom was a little concerned about fixing it?" Baker asked.
"Of course. Financial responsibilities we all feel the pain of, and we really felt it for her," Mellot said.
So Mellot offered to pay for the damage. Then the local PBA and the volunteer First Aid Squad said it would cover the cost, and the owner of Ignition Garage in town would do the labor for free.
"It was a down day for her. I'm sure you brightened that up a bit," Baker said.
"Yeah, we try," said Roger Brown of Ignition Garage. "It's a small town. We've all been in positions that are less than ideal. Where we can help out, we help out."
"What was her reaction when she heard that news?" Baker asked.
"She was shocked. She couldn't believe it. She's like 'Are you sure?' And of course we wanted to reiterate that we are absolutely sure. That's what we are here to do. We are ultimately here to help," Mellot said.
The first responders recommend keeping your window cracked just a little bit on those super hot days.
"So if we do have to get into it, it can be a little bit easier. Also for the safety of pets as well as children," Stocco said.
The first responders said they were happy to work together not only on the scene, but after the fact, to do good.
If you accidentally lock someone or an animal in the car, call 911 immediately. Every second matters, especially on hot days.
CBS2's Meg Baker contributed to this report.
