OPP break window, safely remove infant locked in parents’ vehicle

A window was broken, but a four-month-old child was safely removed from a locked vehicle thanks to the Norfolk County Ontario Provincial Police.

Police were contacted on Sunday evening by concerned parents reporting that their child was locked inside their vehicle on Yin Street in Waterford.

Police had determined that the vehicle had automatically locked once the driver exited, but are unsure why exactly the vehicle had locked.

The infant had only been locked inside the vehicle for a few minutes by the time officers arrived. At the request of the parents, officers broke the passenger-side window in order to safely remove the child who had no injuries.

“The child was never in danger,” said OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk, speaking to the potential of flying glass entering into the vehicle after breaking a window.

The family will have to deal with the costs of the window. A tow truck was called to help remove the child without damaging the vehicle, however, Sanchuk said this would have taken an extra 45 minutes.

“As a dad, I would’ve broken my own window as well,” added Sanchuk.

“A window can be replaced, a young child can’t.”

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Sanchuk and the Norfolk County OPP are reminding guardians and parents to keep a spare set of keys on hand when leaving young children in vehicles.