A two-year-old boy was freed from a car trunk by police on Sunday afternoon in Vienna-Alsergrund. A witness had observed around 2:30 p.m. how the child was placed there by his father on Berggasse. After the 37-year-old man walked away, she alerted the police. The officers then smashed one of the car windows and retrieved the child from the vehicle. The father is facing multiple charges, said a spokesperson for the Vienna State Police Directorate to APA.
During the subsequent examination by emergency services, it was determined that the child was unharmed. Shortly afterward, the Austrian man and his wife returned to the car. They told officers that they had merely placed the child in the vehicle to sleep. The father also behaved aggressively toward the officers.
In addition to the charges, a report was also filed with the responsible municipal department 11 (MA 11). The father and mother of the child are not previously known to either the police or MA 11. They also have a second child together.
Child and Youth Welfare now involved
The parents are scheduled to attend a meeting at a regional office of the Child and Youth Welfare Service (MA 11) on Monday afternoon. “We want to learn how this happened,” said spokesperson Ingrid Pöschmann to APA. “We are taking a very close look,” added Pöschmann, who also emphasized the danger to children from heat in cars. Further measures will depend on the parents’ willingness to cooperate. “Of course, the goal is cooperation,” the spokesperson said.
She also expressed gratitude to the witness who had alerted the police. The MA 11 always relies on a vigilant population. “That’s how child protection works,” Pöschmann explained.
