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Mother Charged With Leaving 4-Year-Old In Hot Car In New Canaan

Police officers, responding to a call from a concerned person, found a 4-year-old girl alone in a car as temperatures climbed into the mid-80s at a popular shopping area off Route 106 in New Canaan.

Morse Court Parking Lot in New Canaan.

Morse Court Parking Lot in New Canaan.

Photo Credit: Google Maps

The officers were dispatched to the area of Morse Court Parking Lot after a person reported hearing a child's voice coming from the backseat of a vehicle at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19.

The girl was alone in the vehicle, strapped into the car seat in the back seat, the front windows of the car were opened approximately 3 to 4 inches and the car was turned off, police said. The temperature outside at the time of the incident was reported to be approximately 85 degrees.

The officers were able to reach into the car through the opened window and unlock the vehicle and able to speak with the child who appeared flush in the face.

The child indicated that her mother was in a store shopping, but could not tell the officers what store.

While speaking with the child, 46-year-old Celina Antal of New Canaan returned to her vehicle and indicated that she was only in a store for 10 minutes and the child inside the vehicle belonged to her.

Surveillance video from local retailers shows that Antal parked her vehicle at 12:43 p.m. and returned to the vehicle at 12:51 p.m. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, June 29.

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