FDNY firefighter saves child from hot car

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A firefighter rescued a crying child locked alone in a car on a hot day in New York City.

FDNY Firefighter Matthew Clinton broke a car window to remove a child from a car in a parking lot in Queens on Thursday morning.

"The kid was screaming that it was hot. You could see sweat on his face. I told him that I'm a firefighter," Clinton said. "Dispatch was called, and I asked someone in the crowd to get me something to break the window with. I broke the driver's side window and unlocked the doors. We got the kid out, and within a couple of minutes NYPD showed up." 

The child was transported to a hospital to be checked out.

The father was arrested when he returned to the car.  He faces reckless endangerment and other charges.

The FDNY urged New Yorkers to never leave a child alone in a car on a warm day, as the temperature inside of a car can rise as much as 40 degrees within one hour, even if the temperature outside of it is only in the low 70s. 

The FDNY also reminded parents to leave some kind of important item, like a phone or your shoe, in the backseat to ensure they don't forget that their child is in the car with them.

Clinton's life-saving act comes less than two weeks after 1-year-old twins from the Bronx died when their father forgot they were in the backseat of his car while he went to work.