PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (WSVN) — Bodycam video showed a Port St. Lucie officer rescued a dog left inside a locked and hot vehicle. The owner was inside a store while his dog was waiting inside the SUV as temperatures reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Officials said that on Tuesday afternoon they got a call about an animal in distress that was locked in a vehicle parked at a Home Depot parking lot.
“Even standing next to the window the window was cracked about maybe two inches two and a half,” said officer Taylor Battistelli. “You could just feel the heat coming out the car.”
Once the officer smashed the window, he was able to reach inside, pull the handle and eventually got the dog out.
“The rear window was breached and we’re getting the dog out now,” said the officer on body camera footage. “Come here baby, come here baby, come on, come on.
Lets go.
“You wanna go ahead and if you don’t mind taking the dog that’s cooking,” said the officer as he handed the small animal to officer Battistelli.
The dog was given water and was placed inside the patrol car as they waited for the owner to return.
“She was panting really heavily, she appeared very nervous, you could feel the heat coming off her, she felt like she was on fire when I first pulled her out.” Battistelli said.
They were able to use a thermometer from the business just to see how hot it was inside.
“Got in the car and put it in there and it read, at that point, 122 degrees,” explained Battistelli. “This was after 10 to 15 minutes of the car ventilating at this point.”
According to Florida law, bystanders are also allowed to rescue a child or a pet believed to be in danger from heat but under certain conditions.
“First thing, is the vehicle locked, is there any other way to get into the vehicle before you break a window, you have to contact law enforcement before or immediately afterwards if you choose to break the glass,” Attorney Gary Lesser said. “The law was designed for this situation and the law was followed and they saved the dog.”
The dog’s owner is facing an aggravated animal cruelty charge.
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