FONTANA, CA. (THECOUNT) — Crystal Gonzales, of Fontana, Ca, has been identified as the California woman arrested Sunday after she allegedly left a 1-year-old and a 9-month-old inside a sweltering SUV for at least a half hour while she shopped at an Ontario Walmart, officials announced Tuesday.
Gonzales, 34, is facing child endangerment charges after leaving a pair of babies in a vehicle while temperatures soared into the double digits.
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An on-duty security guard noticed two young children inside a vehicle “in distress due to the high temperatures,” Ontario police told local media in a release.
Ontario police and first responders arrived on-scene and extracted both children from the vehicle as concerned Walmart shoppers looked on.
Authorities said the SUV was not running, and the windows were only slightly open.
The babies were sweating profusely but are expected to survive, police said.
Gonazles was described being the legal guardian of both babies at the time, and may also be the mother of at least one of the children. Police said Gonzales told them the babies were asleep and she didn’t want to wake them before her shopping trip. Children and Family Services officials responded to the scene and took both children into their care, Ramirez said. source
Gonazles was arrested upon exiting the store.
She was released from lockup after posting $100,000 bail.