A Toronto man has been charged with child abandonment after police were contacted about a 9-month-old child who was found by concerned citizens in a locked vehicle at an Oakville Home Depot Parking lot Sunday.

The man, who is the father of the child, was released from custody. His name is not being released to protect the identity of the victim.

On July 14, a group of people in the parking lot of an Oakville Home Depot were credited for alerting police to a 9-month-old baby left alone in the car.

Halton Regional Police said the people had confronted the father of the baby girl for leaving her in the car, unattended, while he went to get food.

The child was left in the vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes and “was sweating profusely and crying” when she was found, Sgt. Dave Cross said.

An emergency announcement inside the store prompted the father to go back to the car.

Emergency crews at the scene assessed the baby and her mother came to take her home.

At 10 a.m., when the incident occurred, it was already 24 C outside.

“In this case, we’re obviously thankful that citizens intervened,” Cross said. “Given the prevalence of these incidents of late, if they encounter a similar incident, this is what 911 can be utilized for.”

At the end of June, York Regional Police charged a mother with child abandonment after her toddler was found in a locked car in a Markham parking lot.

The previous day, Milton toddler Maximus Huyskens was found dead after being left in a hot car for most of the day.

The boy’s maternal grandmother, Leslie MacDonald, 51, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessities of life in that case.

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