CLEVELAND HEIGHTS- A South Euclid man faces charges of endangering children, after leaving his girlfriend's 9-year-old autistic son in a hot car for 20 minutes.
Monday, a 911 call led police to the Home Depot parking lot at Severance Town Center.
With the mercury outside the vehicle close to 90 degrees, the caller told dispatchers the cars windows were up, the car was not running and sat in direct sunlight. When officers arrived, the good samaritan had gotten in through an unlocked rear door, and the boy was sitting inside the car soaked with sweat and "extremely flushed".
As they spoke with the boy, 65-year-old Paul Bayer came running from the store telling officers he "forgot" that the boy was in the car.
According to the report, Bayer became in need of water as he talked with officers in the backseat of an air conditioned police cruiser.
(image courtesy Cleveland Heights Police)