Parents arrested: Child abandoned in hot car

A couple was arrested for leaving their 2-year-old son in a hot car while they shopped at a Target in Aventura.

Melvin Alejandro Jaimes and Paola Palencia-Rodríguez face charges of child abuse and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.

A passerby noticed the child in the car with the engine off and the doors closed.

The child was asleep and sitting in his own vomit when found.

The Abandoned Child’s Rescue and Condition

The passerby convinced the child to unlock the door and called the police.

Jaimes and Palencia-Rodríguez admitted to leaving the child in the hot car.

The child was sweaty, hot to the touch, and crying, but in good health.

The outside temperature was in the low 90s, and there was a tropical storm and tornado watch.

Surveillance video showed the child left in the car for 30 minutes before being discovered.

The child was picked up by his grandmother, and the Department of Children and Families was notified.

Both parents have no criminal records and were taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Palencia appeared in court, and the judge found probable cause for the child abuse charges.

The judge warned Paola Palencia-Rodríguez about the severe consequences she narrowly avoided.

Palencia’s mother defended her daughter, claiming it was an honest mistake.

The judge granted Palencia supervised visits with her son, excluding the father as a supervisor.

Palencia’s bail was set at $2,500 with the warning not to leave a child unattended in a car.

Melvin Alejandro Jaimes also appeared in court and stated he had previously lived in Mexico and Spain.

The judge granted Jaimes supervised visits with his son and set his bail at $2,500.