Couple Arrested for Leaving Children in Hot Car

A Kansas couple is facing serious charges after allegedly leaving six children, including two infants, in a hot car while they dined at a fast-food restaurant on one of the hottest days of the year.

Michael Krueger, 53, and Tiffany Krueger, 40, were charged with six counts of aggravated child endangerment following an incident at a Wingstop in Salina on Wednesday afternoon.

Reports indicate that the couple spent about 20 to 30 minutes inside the restaurant, while the children remained in the vehicle with just one window partially open and no air conditioning.

The children included two 7-month-olds, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 13-year-old.

The temperature in Salina was nearing triple digits that day, with the heat index exceeding 100 degrees.

Upon arrival, paramedics assessed the children, and it’s unclear if any suffered from heat-related illnesses. They were subsequently taken into protective custody.

Chad Scoville from the Salina Fire Department cautioned that children are particularly vulnerable to heat. He explained that a child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than that of an adult.

“They don’t have the same ability to regulate their body temperature as adults do,” Scoville noted.

He added that conditions in a vehicle can become dangerous in a matter of minutes. “Just because you think you’re only going to be gone for a few minutes doesn’t mean something can’t happen,” he said, stressing the dangers of leaving children and pets unattended in cars.

According to the CDC, merely breaking a window or leaving it cracked does little to protect children from rising temperatures. The agency states that cars can heat up rapidly, posing a severe risk of heat stroke, and in some cases, even death.