PHOENIX — An Arizona man is accused of leaving four children in a vehicle in triple-digit heat while he visited an adult store for nearly an hour, police said.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, Ascencio Largo, 38, is facing eight counts of felony child abuse and endangerment. He is accused of leaving the children alone in the vehicle, which was not running, in temperatures approaching 125 degrees inside the car.
Police said that Largo left the children to enter The Adult Shoppe.
Citizens called police, who responded at about 3:40 p.m. MST on July 23 to the parking lot of a business located near 24th and East Madison streets.
Officers were able to remove the children -- all under the age of 10 -- from the car, which was not running and had its windows rolled up.
The kids' father had been inside an adult store for almost an hour when they were rescued from the hot car by officers. https://t.co/3TbkOzfA5E
— 12 News (@12News) July 27, 2025
“There was elements of heat exposure, you know, pink, red skin, sweating, crying, that kind of thing that kind of showed officers the severity of where this could have gone,” Sgt. Rob Scherer, of the Phoenix Police Department, told KNPX-TV. “It’s unfathomable, to be honest with you.
“Officers originally saw (Largo) and asked him, ‘Hey, is that your car?’ And he denied it being his car. That’s troublesome. Also, obviously, once it’s clear those are his kids and and that’s dad,” Scherer added. “It’s wild to me that 50 minutes wasn’t enough time to turn this into some sort of tragedy. As a father, I can’t wrap my head around it to be honest.”
All four children were taken to an area hospital for precautionary reasons, the television station reported. They are expected to be all right.
Officers located Largo and learned that he had entered the business an hour before officers responded to the scene, KNXV reported.
The Department of Child Safety was contacted about the incident and is investigating
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