A car that was illegally parked in the Logan section of Philadelphia was nearly towed -- with a 2-year-old and 3-month-old child inside.
Witnesses said the mother of the two children, whose identity is not being released by police, left them in her Grand Marquis while she went inside the Glendale District County Assistance Office on the 5200 block of Old York Rd. in Philadelphia early Friday afternoon.
Tow truck driver Jim Matthews was dispatched to tow the car, which was parked in a fire lane outside of the building.
According to Matthews, the car's tinted windows were rolled up, so he did not notice the children until he had begun prepping the car to be towed.
"I looked in, and there's an infant in this rear seat," Matthews said. "And maybe a 3 or 4-year-old little girl on the other side and then everybody started coming out. There must have been 20 people, 30 people.
One witness, Kenneth Autry, snapped pictures of police and firefighters who were called to the scene. Autry told NBC10's Deanna Durante that he witnessed the mother leaving the scene with her children after a relative arrived to pick them up. Other witnesses estimated the children were in the car between 20 and 30 minutes.
Commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS), Anne Marie Ambrose, said the case is under investigation.
"We are currently looking into this situation. We are pleased and thankful that the two girls were discovered and that the authorities were notified," Ambrose said.
"As we have stated previously, child welfare is a community responsibility. We encourage all people to call the DHS hotline if they believe that children are in danger or their safety is in jeopardy."
According to Matthews, the mother made no comment when she arrived at the tow yard late Friday to retrieve her car.
Photo Credit: NBC10.com