HOWELL – Police praised two area residents who took action when they saw an infant who had been left alone in a car and appeared to be struggling in super-heated conditions.
The baby’s mother was subsequently located and charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Police said that at 1 p.m. Aug. 29, Patrolman Daniel Scherbinski and Patrolman Edward Homiek responded to Kohl’s department store, Route 9, in response to a report of a child who had been left unattended in a locked vehicle that had its windows closed.
Upon arriving at the parking lot, the officers located the 2006 Nissan Sentra and saw it had its front passenger window shattered and an empty child car seat in the rear seat. The officers quickly located the individuals who had called police, Steve Eckel, 53, of Jackson, and Sarah Mazzone, 30, of Howell.
Eckel and Mazzone, who did not know each other prior to the incident, told the officers they had walked past the Sentra at about the same time and observed a small child in the vehicle, according to a press release.
The Sentra was unattended, the windows were closed, the doors were locked and the car was not running. The child was subsequently identified as a 4-month-old girl.
Police said Eckel and Mazzone reported that when they saw the child, she appeared to be in a great deal of distress. They said the baby was screaming and crying, turning bright red and sweating profusely. The baby was fully clothed with a blanket partially covering her. The temperature at the time was in the upper 80s.
Police said Eckel told the officers he grabbed a sledgehammer from his vehicle and used it to break the front passenger window of the Sentra. He unlocked the car and he and Mazzone carried the baby into the air-conditioned Kohl’s vestibule and contacted police.
While the officers were speaking with Eckel and Mazzone, they observed a woman approach the Sentra in the parking lot and start to panic, according to police.
Th woman was later identified as the mother of the baby, Karen B. Gruen, 33, of Lakewood. The officers approached Gruen and advised her they had her baby inside the store, according to police.
Representatives of Howell First Aid responded to the scene and treated the baby, who by that time was doing much better as a result of the air conditioning, according to police. An investigation determined the baby had been left in the car for about 40 minutes.
Police said Gruen was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and was released pending court.
The baby was turned over to the custody of her father, who declined any further medical treatment for the child. Police said the baby appeared to be doing much better after being fed and cooled down.
In the wake of the incident and in recognizing the actions of Eckel and Mazzone, Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said, “I recognize the civilians who took immediate action to rescue this child, for they truly saved a life.”
