Uber Eats Driver Arrested After Leaving 1-Year-Old in Hot Car for Nearly 30 Minutes

An Uber Eats driver in St. Petersburg, Florida, was arrested after police say she left a 1-year-old boy alone inside a hot vehicle for almost 30 minutes.

According to NBC affiliate WFLA and local arrest records, 40-year-old Ly Thien Pham was taken into custody on Sunday, July 19. Investigators say Pham had parked outside a restaurant to pick up a delivery order; when she returned to the parking lot she told officers she could not remember where she had parked the car.

Officers later located the child inside the vehicle and reported that he was sweating. Police say Pham had turned on her vehicle's hazard lights but had not used the air conditioning. The boy was rushed to a hospital for treatment; authorities have not released his current condition.

St. Petersburg Police/Instagram

Charges and Official Response

Pinellas County court records show Pham has been charged with third-degree child abuse. She has not yet entered a plea.

"These are child abuse charges," St. Petersburg Police Department spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez told WTSP. "These are very serious charges, very serious for her to have to deal with this. Even though she claims that she didn't mean to do it, that she thought she was just going to run in and out, pick up the food delivery and go."

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. No additional information about the child's condition or any scheduled court dates has been released.

Sources: WFLA, WTSP, Pinellas County court records.