It happened on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 1:05 p.m. in Hempstead, Nassau County Police said.
According to police, a passerby was walking though the Buy Buy Baby parking lot located at 895 East Gate Boulevard and called police after noticing a 1-and-a-half-year-old girl was left unattended in a 2000 Nissan without heat on a frigid 24-degree day, according to police.
Third Precinct police officers responded and observed the small child seated in a baby seat in the rear of a pickup truck parked in a marked stall.
After an investigation, police located the guardian of the child leaving the Buy Buy Baby store 20 minutes later.
Police placed Cinthia Hernandez Munguia, of Hempstead, into police custody without incident. The child was released unharmed to another family member who responded to the scene.
Munguia was charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Thursday, Dec. 19.
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