Can you break a car window to save a kid? What your state law says

A Quakertown, Pennsylvania woman allegedly left her infant in a car while shopping.

In Omaha, a 5-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car for seven hours, according to reports. A day earlier, a 2-year-old girl in Marana, Arizona died after being left in a hot car for an hour in 111-degree weather, officials said.

In Little Rock, Arkansas, a 2-year-old boy died from heat exhaustion after being rescued from a hot car with three siblings. The parents were charged with murder and endangerment, reports say.

Those are just some of the recent cases of children being left in cars this summer.

Every year, dozens of children are locked in cars — many cases end in tragedy.

If you saw a child locked in a car, what would you do?

Here’s what the law says:

Can you break a car window to save a kid in Delaware?

Delaware’s Good Samaritan law protects someone who breaks into a vehicle to rescue a child in imminent danger, provided they call 911 or police immediately before or after breaking the window.

Can you break a car window to save a kid in New Jersey?

In New Jersey, there is no specific law that protects a person acting in good faith to rescue a child from a locked car. Instead, you are urged to call 911 and wait for emergency responders.

Can you break a car window to save a kid in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a Good Samaritan has to call police before breaking a window, must know for sure the vehicle is locked and that a child is in danger and only use enough force to open the vehicle. The actor also has to wait with the child until first responders arrive.

How hot does a car get?

Temperatures in a car rise the fastest within the first 10 minutes, according to Kids and Car Safety, an organization dedicated to preventing these tragedies. As an example, in a test conducted by Sun-Times, a temperature reader inside a vehicle parked in 88 degree weather outside, soared to 114 degrees inside.

Heatstroke can start when the body's core reaches 104 degrees, while death can occur at 107 degrees.

A child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's.