Hazel Park hero saves baby trapped in car after mom accidentally locks herself out

Tree trimmer saves baby locked in hot car

A tree trimmer in Hazel Park saw a baby in dire need of help after it was trapped inside a locked car on a hot day. So he had to act fast to save the baby from the searing temps.

HAZEL PARK, Mich. (FOX 2) - "I just did what I thought a good person would do."

That's what Mike Demay said on Friday. And, while he did what most of us likely would have done, he was the one who was there. The one who saved an infant after the baby's mother accidentally locked her keys in her car.

On Thursday, we were in the 80s outside and Demay was trimming trees in Hazel Park when he heard the call for help. On a warm day like that, the inside of a car can hit 109 degrees in a matter of minutes.

"(My) coworker noticed some ladies in the distance looked like they were hitting a car with a stick or throwing a shoe at it," Demay said.

He ran to the trouble to see what was going and, inside a minivan was a baby less than a year old. The minivan was parked at a senior citizen complex on Thursday and police were on their way but Demay knew that every second mattered. So he grabbed a sledgehammer.

"The keys were locked in the vehicle and the child was in there and they couldn't get in. They were frantic," he said. "(I) smash the window open, the door alarm goes off, I try to unlock the doors. Someone jumped in the car and grabbed the baby," he said.

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Demay said the baby was sweaty and slumped over and it was very hot in the car. In the ten minutes the baby was in the cars, temperatures were likely close to 100 in the van.

The baby was checked out by paramedics and is, thankfully, okay.

The Hazel Park Police Benevolent Association, a non-profit in the city, is paying for mom’s window repairs, calling this an accident.

The guys at Young Masters Tree Service already make a habit of rescuing cats and birds. Now they can add babies to the list.

"I've got five nieces and two nephews. If one of them were in danger, I'd do anything," Demay said.

Hazel Park Police said this was an accident and no charges are being filed. But they also want people to be extra aware that, in the summer heat, no time in a closed car is safe.