

Amara McLaughlin, CP24.com





A 33-year-old Toronto man who allegedly left his three-year-old daughter unattended in his car while he was at the mall on Thursday has been charged, York Regional Police say.

A security officer at Vaughan Mills Mall noticed the girl in the car shortly after 3:30 p.m. because the car was parked in an expectant mother’s spot.

The car was running and its doors were locked, investigators alleged.

“The girl did not appear to be in distress,” a news release said, but security footage revealed she had been left alone for more than 40 minutes.

The father faces two charges for leaving his daughter unattended and engaging in prohibited activity on the premises of the mall.

Under the Child and Family Services Act, any child under the age of 10 who is left unattended is considered to be at risk.

The man was allowed to leave the parking lot with his child, according to police.

The Children’s Aid Society was notified.