Angela Radtke, from Texas is being hailed a hero after smashing the windshield of a car to save a baby who was locked inside with the windows rolled up for over 40 minutes in the parking lot of a supermarket. Security guards and other shoppers warned Radtke not to break the window, but she was ready to get arrested to rescue the baby. After being arrested, Richard Elliott, who is the baby’s father said that he forgot the kid was in the car.
Meet Angela Radtke, the Texas woman who was ready to go to jail in order to save a baby trapped in a hot car for almost an hour.
Saturday afternoon, Radtke who is from San Antonio, Texas was in the parking lot of a H-E-B supermarket, when she spotted a baby boy, unsupervised, locked inside a blue vehicle.
Radtke was not the only person who saw the kid inside the car. There were several people standing near the vehicle watching the baby who was red and sweaty under the Texan heat, but none of them knew what to do.
Few shoppers ran back to the store where they asked the manger to make an announcement about the baby in the hot car via loudspeakers.
More than 40 minutes went by and the parents of the baby never showed up. That is when Radtke decided she was going to get the little boy out of the car even if it meant breaking the law, according to Examiner.
The Texas lady, found a tire iron and smashed the front windshield. Talking to local media, Radtke explained that as she was breaking the glass, the security guards and other passersby warned her not to take action, otherwise she will get arrested.
Radtke told reporters from KENS 5 that she was unafraid and determined to free the child who appeared to be in discomfort inside the car:
“I don’t care if I get arrested, I’m going to save this baby, I felt like some people were kind of scared.They didn’t want to be liable because the security guard was yelling that I could possibly be arrested for breaking the window.”
But she ignored them, and created a big enough hole to slide in and unlock the door to free the one-year-old kid. Radtke injured her legs and arms as she was getting in the car, but she did not seem to mind.
The little boy was taken to the Methodist Children Hospital where he was treated for dehydration before being placed in custody of Child Protective Services.
Texas authorities did eventually locate the baby’s father, 36-year-old Richard Elliott who explained that he was shopping with his 12-year-old daughter and forgot the baby in the car.
Officers from the San Antonio Police Department arrested Elliott and charged him with child endangerment. Elliott’s bond was set at $4,000, it is not known if he is still in jail.
According to local media, the child’s mother was at home at the time of the incident and is not being investigated by the authorities.
As for Angela Radtke, she was interviewed by Texas police, but was not arrested because her actions fall under what is known as the Texas ‘good Samaritan’ act, which makes it legal to disregard the law in order to save or protect a life in danger.
You can watch Radtke’s interview and reenactment below.
