Little girl left in sweltering hot car leads to father's arrest

A 31-year-old man from was arrested on Saturday in Alkmaar after leaving his 3-year-old daughter in a sweltering hot car for about two hours, according to a police report. The Uitgeest man and his wife went shopping in the center of Alkmaar and left their child in the locked car, where temperatures rapidly started to climb.

Bystanders called the police when they noticed the upset toddler in the vehicle parked on Gedempte Nieuwsloot. The police managed to track down the owner of the car, convincing him to return to the vehicle and free the his daughter.

"The girl was sweating and was very thirsty," the report states. Police officers estimate the temperature in the car to have been at least 35 degrees when the toddler was freed.

Officers said the father did not understand what all the fuss was about, including why police made the decision to free the girl at 4 p.m. The girl's father was arrested and was still in custody on Monday morning. The woman was not arrested.

The girl was evaluated at the scene, and is in good condition.