Fullerton couple left 3-year-old daughter in hot van

BREA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Fullerton couple was arrested for child endangerment after they allegedly left their child in a hot van while they went inside a Brea mall.

Brea police say Ho Kim, 33, and Tae Kim, 35, left their 3-year-old daughter in their black Nissan Quest Sunday around 4:45 p.m.

Officers were called to the parking lot after someone spotted the girl. Officers then showed her how to open the van doors. Investigators say the child had been inside of the hot van for up to 20 minutes.

"She was crying at the time," Brea Police Lt. Bill Smyser said. "We had medics respond and they took her to a local hospital for some treatment for dehydration."

Investigators say the outside temperature at the time was 91 degrees. The temperature inside the van was 104 degrees. The child was listed in good condition.

Brea police were able to make contact with the child's parents inside the mall.

"They came out in a panic-stricken mode. That leads us to believe that they just forgot the child was there," Smyser said.

Both were arrested for felony child endangerment and booked into the Brea City Jail. They were released after posting $100,000 bail.

The girl is now with her relatives, and child protective services is investigating the incident.