Dramatic rescue after dad accidentally locks baby inside car

The frantic scenes unfolded in the US state of Texas where temperatures soared to 37 degrees.

Dramatic footage has captured the moment a father smashes through his car windscreen in a desperate attempt to rescue his baby who was trapped inside.

The frantic scenes unfolded in a supermarket car park in Harlingen, southern Texas, where temperatures reached a scorching 37 degrees Celsius this week. The parents accidentally locked the infant and the keys inside the car, it's been reported.

A bystander, who later shared the footage on TikTok, filmed a group of people crowding around the SUV with one man, wearing a black shirt and cap, attempting to smash through the front window. Another man, wearing a white T-shirt and believed to be the father, rushes to the car and takes over, using a hammer to break through the glass.

Man smashes car window to rescue baby inside in Texas.
The father was seen smashing through the windscreen to rescue his baby from the hot car. Source: TikTok/lindahdz91

After creating an opening, the man reaches through the hole and appears to unlock the driver's side door. A woman jumps inside the vehicle and lifts the infant through the windscreen. The father grabs his crying baby and pulls him to his chest.

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It is unsure how long the baby was inside the car but the infant was unharmed, according to local reports. Police arrived but no charges were laid.

Danger of leaving children unattended in cars

According to Australia's road safety organisation NRMA, the temperature inside a hot car can reach almost double the outside temperature. In February, a three-year-old boy died after being left in a car on a 30-degree Sydney day.

NRMA's spokesman Peter Khoury told Yahoo News Australia the statistics for how many children are being left in cars are "alarming".

Child safety advocates Kidsafe claim more than 5,000 children are rescued from hot cars across Australia every year — with a majority of cases being babies and toddlers.

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"Leaving children unattended in a car – even for a short period of time – can be fatal," the Kidsafe website says. "Children are particularly at risk because they can lose fluid quickly, become dehydrated and suffer from heatstroke."

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