A woman was taken into custody on Monday after authorities discovered that she had left a 5-year-old boy unattended in a sweltering car while she went shopping at a Walmart store in Pembroke Pines, Florida.
Pembroke Pines police received a child neglect call at the Walmart on 12800 Pines Blvd. at around 2:30 p.m.
Authorities reported that Martine Louis-Jacques, a 62-year-old individual, left the child alone in a gray 2012 Mercedes as she entered the store.
According to her arrest report, the boy was found in a car with the engine turned off and all windows closed, leading to a lack of air circulation.
According to the police, Walmart employees witnessed the boy knocking on the car’s window frantically, desperately trying to get their attention. He seemed scared and extremely upset.
According to the police, it was revealed that Louis-Jacques had already been inside the Walmart store for approximately twenty minutes before the employees intervened.
According to the report, the employees unlocked the vehicle and brought the child inside, reuniting him with his mother.
Louis-Jacques departed from the store with the boy prior to the arrival of law enforcement at approximately 2:51 p.m.
Surveillance footage from Walmart recorded the entire incident, capturing Louis-Jacques parking the car and entering the store without the boy.
According to jail records, Louis-Jacques is currently facing a charge of child neglect without great bodily harm.
The police have not revealed the connection between Louis-Jacques and the victim.
She is currently being held at the Broward Main Jail on a bond of $3,500.
The original story incorrectly stated that the victim was a 5-year-old girl, but Pembroke Pines police have confirmed that the victim is a 5-year-old boy. We apologize for the error and have corrected the story.