Couple panic as new car 'malfunctions' locking newborn baby inside amid 30C heat

15 January 2024 , 22:58

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Sarah Cianci with her baby near the shattered window (Image: Nine)

Two new parents experienced their worst nightmare after their baby unexpectedly became trapped inside their car on a sweltering 30C day.

Australian couple Lewis and Sarah Cianci claim their Skoda Kodiaq "locked itself" while both sets of keys were in the car last week in Beenleigh. Their three-month-old baby boy was strapped in his car seat after the family had been out together. The parents were left with no choice but to smash one of the windows to rescue their newborn.

Around 5000 Australian kids are left in cars every year, with 10 children reported to have died after being left in hot cars in the last five years — with half of those deaths taking place in Queensland, according to Kidsafe Australia.

Lewis told 9News: "I got out of the car and went around to where our baby was in the car seat and by the time I got around there, the doors were locked. It's terrible, terrible for a parent to know your kid is stuck in the car and there's nothing you can do about it."

CCTV footage shows the moment a police car pulls up to the family home and two officers jump out to help the frantic couple. They decided to smash the driver's side window to make the minimum risk of injury for the baby. Despite this, shards of glass still scattered throughout the entire vehicle from the impact. The baby was cleared by paramedics but now Sarah and Lewis are too scared to put him back in the car for a while.

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The keys surrounded by shattered glass (Nine)

A message on the car dashboard stated a "key is not detected" despite two sets of keys sitting in the centre console from a recent service. Skoda said it had launched an investigation into the incident and the couple have been loaned a hire car while their vehicle is checked for faults.

In a statement to 9News, Skoda said: "Our cars lock and unlock no differently to vehicles from any number of brands,. We're not aware of an issue such as the one described, but will attempt to replicate it as part of the investigation."

Rachel Hagan