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Parents Arrested After Leaving Girl, 3, in Hot Car While They Went to Mall: Brea Police

A Fullerton couple faced charges after allegedly leaving their 3-year-old daughter inside a hot parked car outside a local mall on Sunday, police said.

A Fullerton couple was handcuffed in the Brea Mall parking lot after their daughter was found alone inside their hot car. (Credit: First In)

Officers responded to the parking lot outside the Brea Mall (map) at about 4:45 p.m. after someone reported that a small child had been left inside a vehicle, according to a Brea Police Department news release.

When police arrived, they found the girl inside a black Nissan Quest van and successfully instructed her how to get out of the vehicle, the release stated.

The temperature outside at the time was a sweltering 91 degrees at the time, but it was even hotter — 104 degrees — inside the vehicle, according to police.

The girl, who had been left in the car for at least 15 to 20 minutes, was taken to a local hospital where she was reported to be in good condition, the release stated.

Officers found her parents inside the mall. Following an investigation, 33-year-old Ho Kim and 35-year-old Tae Kim were arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment, according to the release.

Both parents were booked into jail and were each being held on $100,000 bail.