A 4-month-old baby died after being left in a vehicle in New Jersey. He was the first child to die in a hot car in 2025, according to USA Today.

The father of six admitted that he feared that one day he’d forget one of his six children in the car and set in place reminders — such as leaving his hat in the passenger seat ─ while driving them to school or day care.

But one day last month, even this ritual made no difference, and the baby died after being left in the minivan for two and a half hours. The father was arrested two days later on a charge of child endangerment. Even though the temperature outside in Lakewood, New Jersey was 67.8 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside the automobile soared to 96.2.

“These tragedies are indeed devastating and can be really difficult to understand, however, they do happen to even the most wonderful and cautious parents,” Amber Rollins-Reis, director of Kids and Car Safety, tells Newsmax.

Neuroscientist Dr. David Diamond has extensively researched how responsible people can tragically leave their children in cars. His theory is that we have competing memory systems, one that operates strictly out of habit and the other is prospective memory that plans for the future. When we are distracted or under stress, the habit memory supersedes, and we follow the same pattern or route because it’s familiar.

 According to data from Kids and Car Safety, in an “overwhelming majority of child hot car deaths, it was a loving, responsible parent that unknowingly left the child.”  Approximately 43% of children who were left were supposed to have been dropped off at childcare. Eighty-eight percent of children who have died in a hot care are under the age of three.

Here are simple habits to ensure that your child is never left alone in a car:

• Place the child’s diaper bag or other item in the front passenger seat as a visual cue that the child is with you. Or, keep a stuffed animal in the back seat. Anytime you buckle your child into the car, move that stuffy to the front with you as a visual cue that the child is with you.

• Make it a habit of opening the back door every time you park to ensure no one is left behind. To enforce this habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without in the back seat such as an employee badge, laptop, phone, or handbag.

• Ask your childcare provider to call you right away if your child hasn’t arrived as scheduled.

• Clearly announce and confirm who is getting each child out of the vehicle. Miscommunication can lead to thinking someone else removed the child.

Additionally, to make sure children cannot get into a parked car:

• Keep vehicles locked at all times, especially in the garage or driveway. Ask neighbors and visitors to do the same.

• Never leave car keys within reach of children.

• Use childproofing knob covers and door alarms to prevent children from exiting your home unnoticed.

• Teach children to honk the horn or turn on hazard lights if they become stuck inside a car.

Rollins-Reis adds that it’s never okay to leave a child alone in a car, even for a few minutes and even if the car is running. Here are suggestions on what to do if you see a child or pet left alone in a vehicle.

“Protecting children is everyone’s business,” she says. “If you see a child in a car, get involved.”