The temperature on the day was 97 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Parents-accused-of-leaving-kids-in-hot-car-071226-1-07f1a05dbb254493aa0149c8977498a8.jpg "Parents accused of leaving 6 kids, including 2 infants, in car amid sweltering temps while they ate chicken wings")
Credit: Saline County Jail
NEED TO KNOW
- Tiffany and Michael Krueger were arrested after allegedly leaving six kids, including two infants, in a hot car while they went to Wingstop
- Police received a report about children being left in a vehicle with just one window down and no air conditioning
- The temperature on the day was 97 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees
Two parents were arrested after allegedly leaving six kids — including two infants — in a hot car while they went to Wingstop.
Michael Krueger, 53, and Tiffany Krueger, 40, allegedly left the kids in a car outside the fast food chain in Salina, Kan., on Wednesday, July 8, according to multiple outlets.
Police responded to the scene around 2 p.m. local time after receiving a report about children being left in a vehicle with just one window down and no air conditioning running, news outlet KWCH reported.
Credit: Saline County Jail
The kids included two 7-month-old babies, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 13-year-old, per local news KSAL.
The temperature on the day was 97 degrees with a heat index of over 100 degrees.
The kids allegedly were unsupervised in the vehicle for 20 to 30 minutes, KSAL and KWCH reported.
KSAL reported that the officers responded to a Wingstop, where the parents were found inside.
Credit: Saline County Jail
The children were evaluated by emergency responders and taken into protective custody, per KSAL.
Aaron Melby with the Salina Police Department told news outlet KAKE that the kids “appeared to have no health concerns at the time.”
Tiffany and Michael Krueger were booked into the Saline County Jail for counts of aggravated endangerment, according to booking records viewed by PEOPLE.
Credit: Getty
While speaking with KWCH, Chad Scoville of the Salina Fire Department highlighted the dangers of leaving kids unattended in vehicles.
“A child’s body temperature raises three to five times faster than adults’. They just do not have the same regulating capabilities that an adult does,” he said.
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Scoville also said the temperature inside cars can “reach deadly levels” in just a few minutes.
“We simply do not want to leave unattended children or pets in unattended vehicles. Period,” he added.
About 37 children die every year from heatstroke after being left or trapped in a car, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
PEOPLE reached out to the Salina Police Department and Wingstop on Sunday, July 12.
