Cedar Hill ISD police detective saves 1-year-old locked in hot car

CEDAR HILL, Texas - A Cedar Hill ISD police detective is being called a hero after rescuing a 1-year-old locked in a hot car.

A family went to the Lacy Enrollment Center on Monday to enroll one of their children into elementary school. When they returned their car, their 1-year-old boy got inside the rental vehicle and locked the car from the inside, according to Cedar Hill ISD.

At the time, the temperature was 103 degrees outside.

Detective Eric Roberts, who was doing training with Cedar Hill ISD officers at the time, was called to the parking lot.

With the parents' permission he broke the window to get the child.

Detective Eric Roberts (Source: Cedar Hill ISD)

"The baton wouldn’t break the window, so I had to collapse the baton and use it with a puncher strike," Roberts said in a statement.

Overall, the child spent between 5 and 7 minutes in the car.

The parents and Roberts then took the 1-year-old into the air condition of the Lacy Enrollment Center.

He was checked out by medical teams from the Cedar Hill Fire Department, who determined the 1-year-old was okay.

Detective Eric Roberts (Source: Cedar Hill ISD)

"There was a need for service here, so I acted and responded," Roberts said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) says about 40 children die every year because they were left or became trapped in a car.