Man With Autism Left in Hot Car by Caregiver Dies

Disabled man spent more than 5-hours in car as temps soared over 150-degrees

Investigators want to know how a man with autism could be left inside a van for hours in the intense heat just steps from the facility where he lived.

The unidentified 20-year-old man died after spending more than five hours inside a van operated by Woods Services in Middletown Township, Pa. last Saturday, police say.

The man, whose autism left him unable to speak, was in the backseat of the van for a return trip from Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. with three other residents and two caregivers.

Once back on the grounds of the facility, two of the residents were taken inside by one caregiver, police said.

The driver then dropped another resident off at their building before parking the van in a nearby lot. With the man still in the backseat, the female driver locked the car and left to complete her shift, according to police.

When it was determined the man was missing, staff conducted a search of the buildings and subsequently the vehicle where he was found dead.

"The supervisor started looking in the vehicles and opened up transport vehicles and found the victim laying in the far backseat," Middletown Twp. Det. Jeffry Sproegnle said. "It was obvious that the victim was dead."

Extreme heat swept across the area on Saturday sending temperatures near the Woods Services facility to 95-degrees. But it was much hotter inside the sealed car, with investigators estimating temperatures reached 150-degrees in the interior.

The driver of the van and a coworker were both suspended after the man's death. Investigators are also looking into the possibility of whether criminal charges are warranted in the case.

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