Why would a parent leave a baby unattended in a running, open car? Was I wrong to chastise them?

Question

The father was gone a full ten minutes.

For those who've submitted answers, let me add the following... I DID try to call the police. However, my cell wasn't working properly and the father walked out just as I was walking into the store to use their phone.

Answer 1

You should have stolen the baby.

Answer 2

You were definitely NOT wrong....he should have been reported to the police but at least you stayed long enough to see him return AND to toast his @ss.
Anything in the car can malfunction, including the a/c...once the a/c goes, it blows HOT air which would be very dangerous.
Someone could have used the opportunity to kidnap the infant.
Someone could have gotten into an accident with the car and the baby would have been unattended.
Speaking of unattended, what if the baby would start choking or having any sort of medical emergency....that would have been devastating.
I am always amazed when people do it with their pets but a baby is really bad....
Children die in cars all the time....it only takes the sun and an hour or more and they will lose consciousness and probably more.
The only reason NOT to report him is if he really thought people do this all the time, then he has gotten his final warning but we should all stand up for the victims and report them next time, okay? 911 is all it takes.

Answer 3

No, you were not wrong! People seem to be treating their children as an "inconvenience" more and more in recent times. I would have called the Police and filed a report, I live in Texas and a stupid move like that results in catastrophically bad things happening to children: car stolen, baby dies from heat, etc. etc.
Bravo for standing up to such an idiot when it comes to the safety of a child!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

They do it because they are stupid and assume nothing will happen to the baby when left alone since it is much easier to leave the baby than to get him/her out of the carseat and carry them inside. You were not wrong to chastise him. It would have been better if you had called the police.

Answer 5

I see nothing wrong in pointing this out. Some people may not realize that the 'just a few minutes' it takes to go into a store to get something is plenty of time for somebody to steal a running vehicle, as well as endangering his baby's life.

Answer 6

You should have called the police. Maybe then he would have realized what an idiot he was to leave his baby unattended. The car could have been stolen and the child hurt or killed.

Answer 7

No, you did right, maybe he will think twice before doing it again, and you may have saved that babies life.
We all need to talk or warn these idiots, who shouldn't be left in charge of children.
How many more will die each summer, because of some parents lack of thought.
"I wasn't planning to be gone long" just doesn't cut it anymore, and now they will have to live with their childs death for the rest of their lives.
A good chastisement, seems a fair exchange.

Answer 8

No i dont think you were wrong for your concern for the baby..but the better thing to do would have been to call the police and let them do the chastising

Answer 9

Why would a parent do that?

Because he's a moron, apparently. Amazingly stoopid.

Actually, maybe you should have used your cell phone to report an unattended baby in a car.

Answer 10

It was very wrong of that man to leave his child unattended.People in similar situations have called 911 and reported the offending parties to the police.

Answer 11

u were not wrong. If that was me I would have stood by e car while I called th police and reported and abandoned child and give the license plate number when Icalled them. child endangerment is a crime and a felony in some states.