The child spent nearly an hour without clothes in a locked vehicle with Bosnian license plates in a shopping center parking lot. The parents only appeared after bystanders intervened, and police suspect them of violating the child's rights.
Police in Poreč have completed their criminal investigation and filed a criminal complaint against a 39-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, both citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of violating a child's rights. The incident occurred on August 10, 2026, amid a forecast heatwave, when the parents left their minor child locked in a car and went shopping.
According to the police report, the couple parked a car with Bosnian license plates in the parking lot of a shopping center in Poreč at around 6:15 PM on Monday. With the windows closed and doors locked, they left the child alone for nearly a full hour while they were inside the store.
Concerned citizens noticed the child without clothes, completely drenched in sweat in the overheated vehicle, and immediately called emergency services and firefighters. At that moment, the parents appeared in the parking lot and unlocked the car. The child was examined and, fortunately, sustained no injuries.
In response to this incident, the Istria Police Department issued a stern warning to the public, especially parents and guardians. "Given that forecasters have announced a heatwave and high temperatures for this week, the police draw the attention of parents, as well as all those who care for children, to the risks and dangers of exposing children to the sun and high temperatures, and that even a short stay in a heated vehicle can cause tragic consequences," the statement reads.
The police emphasized that such an act constitutes gross neglect and abuse of a child. "Leaving a child unattended in a closed vehicle is a gross neglect and abuse of the child, which constitutes the elements of the criminal offense of violating a child's rights, and the consequences can be the death of the child or seriously impaired health," they said.
The police also detailed the health risks. "A child left alone in a vehicle, even for a short time, is at risk of heatstroke, dehydration, overheating, and injury. Heatstroke occurs when a child's body temperature rises above 40°C, and the higher the humidity, the harder it is for a person to cool down through sweating," they explained.
To prevent accidentally forgetting children in vehicles, the police recommend a simple trick. "It is also recommended to leave things you need to take before exiting the vehicle on the back seat so that you don't get out of the car without glancing at the back seat," they stated.
The Istria Police Department, in cooperation with the Istria County, the Teaching Institute for Public Health of Istria County, and Healthy Istria, has produced an educational leaflet. It includes advice on the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, protection from heat, and drowning prevention during the summer. With the support of the Istria County Tourist Board, the leaflet has been translated into English, German, and Italian to be understandable to foreign guests.
Police officers inform citizens about these dangers through cooperation with camps, tourist resorts, health centers, kindergartens, and shopping centers, as well as directly in parking lots. In addition to heat protection, they also remind of the importance of supervising children near water and recommend that children wear life jackets in natural waters.
