A three‑year‑old boy was rescued from a locked vehicle in Rehovot after spending the night trapped inside, narrowly avoiding a deadly tragedy.
REHOVOT, ISRAEL — In a chilling near‑tragedy, a three‑year‑old toddler was found locked inside a commercial vehicle in Rehovot on Thursday morning — after apparently being forgotten there overnight.
The dramatic rescue unfolded when a man out for his morning walk heard muffled cries and desperate screams coming from a parked van. Peering inside, he spotted the terrified boy, alone and visibly distressed.
The passerby frantically knocked on nearby doors in search of the vehicle’s owner. After several tense minutes, the owner was located and immediately opened the van, pulling the sobbing child into his arms.
“He Was Minutes Away from Disaster”
Senior Magen David Adom (MDA) medic Meir Sa’ar said:
“When we arrived, we saw a crowd gathered around the vehicle and a man holding the boy. From what people told us, the child had been inside for several hours. The quick thinking of the man who heard him screaming saved his life. Luckily, it was still relatively cool outside. Had he been left there any longer, the outcome could have been catastrophic.”
MDA paramedics examined the boy, gave him water, and determined that he did not require hospitalization — a miraculous turn considering the circumstances.
A Deadly Summer Risk
MDA issued a stark reminder to parents, guardians, and school bus drivers:
- Always check every seat of your vehicle before locking it.
- On hot days, temperatures inside vehicles can soar to lethal levels in minutes.
- Forgetting a child in a car, even for a short time, can result in permanent injury or death.
This harrowing case comes as Israel heads into peak summer heat — a time when child-in-car deaths tragically spike. Authorities are urging heightened awareness to prevent the next tragedy before it happens.
