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In Florida alone, six children have died after being left in a hot vehicle.

But for one Central Florida man, that number was too high and he wanted to do something about it.

Josh Mejia has invented the Baby Safe System.  The system works in conjunction with the vehicle to make sure a child can’t be forgotten in the back seat.

“I said, ‘I have to do something,’” Mejia said.

If the key is taken out of the vehicle ignition, after a short amount of time, if the child is left in his or her car seat, lights on the seat will start flashing and an alert will sound.

Within 60 seconds of that, the Baby Safe System will set off the vehicle alarm. And 30 seconds after that, the vehicle windows will roll down, Mejia said.

The system is also able to send a text alert with GPS coordinates to up to five people.

“We call this a fail-safe system,” Baby Safe System employee Mark Mucha said.

39 children have died across the US this year, after being left in a vehicle and Mejia believes every one of those deaths could have been prevented.

A safety system such as the one he has designed would have been helpful in his own life, Mejia said.

He had a scare at a Publix when his daughter was little, but luckily she was OK.

“We said, ‘Where’s the baby?’” he said. “We went back. We started to open the door, and it was locked. The fire department came and helped us out. Thank God for them.”

Mejia is still looking for a company willing to manufacture the Baby Safe System, but hopes to get it to market soon.

About to post to my @facebook page some facts about hot car deaths & local near misses. Full report at 10 on @WRDQ27 & 11 on @WFTVpic.twitter.com/dZH5AEgnAi

— Cierra Putman WFTV (@CPutman_WFTV) October 10, 2017

Community Up In Arms After A Father Drowns Toddler In Lady Lake Home

 

A father from Lady Lake is accused of drowning his 17-month-old girl in a bathtub on Monday, officials said.

Lake County deputies said that Ocala police received a call about 9:30 a.m. from the child’s mother saying her husband, Jeremy Main, had called her at work and said that he drowned the toddler.

“For someone to be able to do something like that is just mind-boggling,” said Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Fred Jones. “Twenty years in this job, and it’s hard to believe a person can lose their humanity and do something like this.”

When Police officers arrived at the home near Griffin Terrace Drive and Redbud Road, they said they tried to make contact with Main, but ended up having to make forced entry into the home, where they found the girl, McKenzie Main, dead in a bath tub.

Deputies said that Main had turned himself in at a police substation. They said that he was covered in blood because he apparently tried to hurt himself.

“(The toddler’s death) does not appear to be an accident based on language he used with the mother,” said Jones.

Neighbor Janice Washburn remembered the little girl as friendly, outgoing and never without a smile.

“She would always smile and wave hi,” Washburn said. “She was just so cute. She was always so happy.”

 We just learned that a 17-month-old baby was killed. Deputies say the child’s father is the suspect. #WFTV

 — Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) October 9, 2017

Officials said that a motive is still unclear, but it may have stemmed from a marital issue between the mother and father.

A Neighbor, Joe Washburn, couldn’t believe something like this could happen anywhere, let alone so close to his home.

“That’s just heartbreaking,” he said. “Sickening. There’s no excuse for it.”

They said that Main does not have a criminal history. He and his wife share two other kids, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old.

A Neighbor, Joe Washburn, couldn’t believe something like this could happen anywhere, let alone so close to his home.

“That’s just heartbreaking,” he said. “Sickening. There’s no excuse for it.”

They said that Main does not have a criminal history. He and his wife share two other kids, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old.

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