‘This genuinely broke my heart’: A Florida mom heading to a museum says she saw two girls alone in a parked car with the engine off on a hot day

A woman in Florida’s West Palm Beach challenged a mother after finding two little girls sitting in a parked vehicle she says was turned off, according to The Nerd Stash. TikTok user Tiffany Nicole shared the video, captioning it, “This genuinely broke my heart. What is wrong with people?”

As the clip begins, she walks up to the vehicle and says its engine isn’t running. “Ma’am, your car is off,” she tells the mother while asking her why the kids were left inside. One girl appears to be pressing her hands and face to the glass. The woman filming says she is a mother of three herself, and that watching the girls sit alone in the car left her deeply shaken. As the exchange goes on, she asks more than once about getting police involved.

The TikToker says she was headed with her own children to a little schoolhouse museum close by when she saw the girls. By her account, the car was off while they sat inside, and she called herself “beside myself upset” over the scene. The outlet’s report includes no response from the mother, who is not named. It also does not say how old the girls are, how long they were in the car or whether police were ultimately contacted.

Florida has a law on kids left in cars

Under Florida law, a parent or caregiver may not leave a child younger than six unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes. The same statute bars leaving a child alone for any length of time if the engine is running. That also applies if the child’s health is in danger or the child appears to be in distress.

Exceeding 15 minutes is a second-degree misdemeanor, while the other violations are noncriminal traffic infractions carrying a fine of $50 to $500. If a child suffers great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement, the offense becomes a third-degree felony. The law also lets officers use whatever means are reasonably necessary to remove a child from the car.

Florida also protects bystanders who step in. A separate statute shields people from civil liability for damaging a car to rescue a child if the vehicle is locked and they reasonably believe the child faces imminent danger. They must call 911 before entering or immediately after, use no more force than necessary and stay with the child until first responders arrive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a car’s interior can warm by almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the first 10 minutes. An outside temperature in the mid-60s can push it above 110 degrees, according to the agency. A child’s body temperature also rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, its heatstroke campaign page notes. The agency urges anyone who sees a child alone in a locked car to call 911 right away.