Emergency responders in Hoboken, New Jersey thought they were rescuing a baby left in a hot car, but instead pulled out a doll. According to WPXI , the life-sized doll was left perched in a car seat by a 2-year-old girl. The girl’s grandmother, Kitty Mieles, admits the doll was very lifelike and could be mistaken for a real child from afar. However, she wishes emergency crews would have taken a closer look before breaking out her car window.
The incident took place after a person walking past the vehicle saw the “child” in the car and called for help. An emergency ambulance crew from Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp failed to notice that the “child” was in fact a doll. Therefore, they called for police assistance. The police came to the scene and broke the window of the vehicle to free the trapped “child” due to the fear that the child had only moments to live.
Once the window was broken and the “child” retrieved, emergency personnel realized the “child” was in fact a baby doll. Though the incident is a little bit embarrassing for the crew, officials said they weren’t taking any chances on potentially saving a life. In a Metro report , Thomas Molta, president of Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corp, said:
“I saw pictures of the doll and it looked real. I’ve got 34 years’ experience in Emergency Medical Services and I probably would have broken the window too.”
Kitty Mieles isn’t too upset over the incident since the city has offered to pay the repairs for her broken window. Mieles said she was shocked when she came outside to see her vehicle surrounded by so many emergency crews.
“When he came out, there were the cops and the ambulance and they broke the window thinking that there was a baby in there, but it wasn’t a baby, it was a doll.”
It is important to note that though this was an unfortunate case of mistaken identity, 20 children have died in hot cars this year alone. The threat to children in hot vehicles is very real and seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, it is no wonder the Hoboken emergency crews took the situation so seriously.
Just this week, a toddler was left in a hot car by a mom who then violently attacked a couple who rescued her daughter.
What do you think of the Hoboken emergency crews smashing of Mieles’ window to retrieve the baby doll? Was it an honest mistake?
[Image Credit: CBS ]
