Kids left in hot car after dad went to Springdale massage parlor, police say

SPRINGDALE, Pa. — A Leechburg man is facing several charges after Springdale police said he left two children inside a hot car, with the temperature believed to have reached at least 100 degrees.

Springdale police say Jerry Rempuszewski, 32, parked his car along Porter Street Tuesday afternoon, then went across the street to get a massage, leaving his stepson and daughter, a five-year-old boy and infant baby girl, inside the hot car for 36 minutes with the engine off.

Police told us a mail carrier called 911 after seeing the children inside the locked car with the windows cracked about three inches. Court documents said when police arrived, they found the 5 year old conscious and awake, but the little girl appeared extremely red and “possibly unresponsive.” Both children were sweating when they were taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital.

Police said when Rempuszewski returned, he told them he was getting the kids ice cream. But surveillance video from the nearby Glen’s Frozen Custard showed he never went there.

Community members were outraged and shocked to hear about the allegations.

“I don’t know how anybody could prioritize that over kids in a car like that. It’s just - what’s the world coming to?” asked Timothy Rhiner of Springdale. “It must have been one hell of a massage.”

“Obviously unmanageable behavior could [lead to leaving] two young children in a car to die,” said Cheryl Vizzo of Cheswick. “I hope he gets help.”

Rempuszewski was arrested and taken to the Allegheny County Jail. He faces several charges, including endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, and leaving an unattended child in a motor vehicle. He is scheduled to appear in front of a judge on June 24.

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