Florida grandpa returned rental car with 1-year-old: cops

Police said a grandfather was criminally charged after he forgot to take his 1-year-old granddaughter out of the rental car before returning the vehicle.

Hertz Car Rental employees at Daytona Beach International Airport found the baby in the back seat of a heated car on Monday, about 45 minutes after his grandfather David Towner returned it, Volusia Sheriff’s Office said,

Police said the girl was locked inside as the temperature outside reached 80 degrees on Monday. The police arrived at him with a terrified and a hot face laden with dry tears.

Fortunately, the baby was found to be in good health and was breathing normally.

Police tried calling Towner after finding a girl under the age of two, but she could not be contacted. After learning of her father’s mistake, the girl’s mother called 911 as she went to the rental company.

“I picked up my dad at the airport and he was leaving a rental car and I – he said my daughter was at home and he dropped my daughter in the rental car at Daytona International Airport,” the mother said. told the dispatcher, according to a recording Retrieved by WESH 2 News.

Towner, 62, was caring for her granddaughter during the day and told her daughter not to leave the baby at her home at the airport, she told 911.

The dispatcher asked the mother to rest as she was “absolutely sure” that the girl was safe and obeyed traffic laws.

“No, it is not going to happen. My child is in the car,” said the mother.

After reviewing security footage and conducting interviews, police determined that Towner took the girl too far and left her there. Sources said he regretted and was cooperative with the deputy.

Towner was charged with a charge of child neglect and police informed the Department of Children and Families about the incident.

The department announced that Hertz employees involved in the incident would be honored with civilian awards by Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.