Infant and 5-year-old left in hot car while father went for a massage in Springdale
A man is in custody after he was accused of leaving a 5-year-old and a 6-month-old inside a hot car while he went to get a massage in Springdale Tuesday. The temperature inside the car was as high at 100 degrees, police said.
According to court paperwork provided to KDKA-TV, Jerry Rempuszewski was arrested outside of Golden Wellness Body Work Massage after officers were able to get the children out of the car.
Just after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, police were called to Glenn's Frozen Custard after getting reports of two children left in a car. When they arrived, they found the 5-year-old and 6-month-old inside the car. From outside the vehicle, a responding officer said that the 5-year-old boy was conscious and awake, but the 6-month-old girl was red, sweating profusely and appeared unresponsive.
The officer was able to get into the car, but set the alarm off in the process. He found that the 6-month-old was still breathing.
Due to the alarm going off, Rempuszewski came out of the massage parlor and was taken into custody. He allegedly told police that he went to get the kids ice cream.
After reviewing security footage, police found that Rempuszewski left the children inside the car with the windows down approximately three inches. In total, the children were left inside the car for 36 minutes, police said.
According to the weather forecast, the real feel temperature at the time was 86 degrees with 63% indoor humidity. It is believed that temperatures inside the car reached over 100 degrees.
Employees at the massage parlor told police that Rempuszewski did not have an appointment, entered the establishment and paid for a half-hour massage.
Police learned that Rempuszewski was the father of the 6-month-old and the stepfather of the 5-year-old.
The children were taken to UPMC Children's Hospital to be treated, and their mother was alerted.
Rempuszewski is now being held at the Allegheny County Jail and is facing charges of endangering the welfare of children, leaving an unattended child in a motor vehicle, and recklessly endangering another person.
