In 3rd fatality in a week, 4-year-old boy dies after being locked in hot car

Muhammad Khalil found by passerby in an abandoned vehicle in the town of Fureidis, succumbs at hospital

Dr. Muhammad Isa standing near the car in which 4-year old Muhammad Khalil was found. (United Hatzalah)
Dr. Muhammad Isa standing near the car in which 4-year old Muhammad Khalil was found. (United Hatzalah)

A four-year-old boy died on Monday after being found in an abandoned car in the northern Israeli town of Fureidis, near Zichron Yaakov.

A passerby noticed Muhammad Khalil in the car and notified authorities. The child was apparently locked inside the vehicle in the summer heat for an extended period of time.

Despite efforts by first responders, he was pronounced dead at Hadera’s Hillel Yaffe Medical Center.

Police are investigating.

Khalil appeared to exhibit signs of heatstroke. Israel is currently experiencing a nationwide heatwave, with temperatures reaching 32°C (89°F) on Monday in Fureidis.

“When I arrived at the scene I found the boy not breathing and without a pulse,” Dr. Muhammad Isa,  a volunteer with the United Hatzalah emergency service, said in a statement.

“According to passersby, the boy had been found inside a vehicle and had been there for some time. I performed CPR on him… but with great sadness his death was pronounced at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center after a lengthy resuscitation effort that had continued during transport.”

Khalil was the third child to die after being left in a car in the past week.

Three-year-old Muhammad Ali Suaed died Friday after being left in a family car in the northern village of Sallama for a prolonged period of time. He was treated by paramedics on the scene before he was taken to hospital in Nahariya, where his death was declared.

Muhammad Ali Suaed, 3, who died after he was left in a car, July 24, 2020. (Courtesy)

Police have opened an investigation into the incident.

Last Monday, another 4-year old boy died after being left for hours in a family car in the southern city of Dimona. An initial probe found that the boy had fallen asleep in the car as his family returned from a trip to a swimming pool, Hebrew media reported. The boy’s mother told police that she and her two daughters left the car and entered the family home and only realized hours later that the boy was not with them.

Earlier that day, paramedics were called to attend to a 2-year-old boy who was brought to a clinic in Rahat, apparently after having been left in a car. He was taken to Soroka Hospital in moderate condition with heatstroke symptoms.

The Beterem children’s safety group over the past decade has recorded 880 incidents of children left in vehicles, 31 of whom died.

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