Day care worker charged after 5 kids left in hot vehicle

A Philadelphia day care worker has been charged with child-endangerment after police say five children under her watch became overheated when they were left inside a vehicle outside a grocery store.

Philadelphia police said 39-year-old Karin Thompson is facing five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and five counts of recklessly endangering another person in the Tuesday night.

Authorities were called to the ShopRite on the 3700 block of Aramingo Avenue shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday when a woman reported that children were crying and unattended in the SUV she had parked next to.

The air conditioner in the vehicle was on, police said, but the children had still become overheated.

Police said store security paged the vehicle owner over the intercom, but officials had to enter the store and look for her when there was no response for 20 minutes. Thompson was found inside, still shopping, police said.

The children included a 6-month-old boy, 1-year-old girl, 6-year-old boy, 8-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl.

They were taken to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in stable condition and later released to their parents.

Thompson operates a day care facility out of her home, police said. She has been a certified to run a child care center from the Oxford Circle residence since December 2012, according to state Department of Public Welfare Records.

Tuesday was one of the hottest days of the summer thus far in Philadelphia. The temperature was 86 degrees when the children were found in the vehicle, and later climbed to 93 degrees.