Video Shows Distraught Mom Trying to Free Son With Autism From Hot Van

Newly released police video shows a frantic mother trying to rescue her teenage son with autism from a locked hot van.

The Arizona mother can be heard telling a responding officer, "My son was left in the hot van since 8 this morning!" The boy was supposed to have gone to a daytime care facility for people with special needs but was forgotten by the driver, police said.

Temperatures inside the stifling van were 129 degrees, officers said.

The Goodyear Police Department footage from July shows an officer asking, "He was in this van for four hours?"

After her son was pulled from the van, the mother still worried. "Can we turn this car around? He's still in the sun!" she is heard telling officers.

A female bus driver is seen being questioned by police. "I've been a caregiver for 19 years and this has never happened," she tells officers.

Later, she acknowledged she hadn't followed exit guidelines. "To be honest, I was relying on the other person," she says.

The teen was treated and released at a nearby hospital, authorities said. The driver was fired and is facing child abuse and endangerment policies, police said. 

RELATED STORIES