An Island Heights, NJ police officer offered to pay for the damages after breaking a car window to rescue a boy who was trapped in the hot car.

The child’s mother called 911 after accidentally locking the car while the keys were still inside. Patrolman Rocco Mellott arrived on the scene shortly after and called for first aid, as well as a tow truck to unlock the doors.

However, when he saw the child was sweating, he couldn’t wait. The temperature was a humid 86 degrees that way according to accuweather.com

An Island Heights Police Department Facebook post said that Mellott asked the mother’s approval first, and then broke the window and opened the door to extricate the child.

Paramedics arrived soon after and determined that the child was in good health. According to organization healthychildren.org, children can die of heat stroke very quickly in a hot car due to the fact that a child’s body heats up much quicker than an adult. Heat stroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths in children younger than 15. 

When the mother said she could not afford a new window, Mellott decided to help. With the help of donations from Island Heights PBA Local 352 and the Island Heights First Aid Squad, the helpful officer was able to arrange for the new window to be replaced.

Island Heights officer Sgt. Paul Rutledge told NJ.com, “Our PBA always helps out. The PBA and the first aid squad are going to be paying for the window for the mother.”

Island Heights is a borough of less than one square mile with a population of about 1,700 along the Toms River.