‘Rather shocking’: Arizona dad ditches kids in car in 100-plus temps for cheap thrills

An Arizona dad left his four kids in a car with temperatures reaching as high as 124 degrees for nearly an hour with no AC and the windows rolled up while he was in an adult video store, according to local police.

Bystanders called the cops when they noticed the children, ages 2, 3, 4, and 7, in the vehicle, and police arrested their dad, 38-year-old Ascencio Largo, at the scene.

According to witnesses, the children were visibly suffering inside the car. Phoenix Police Sergeant Rob Scherer told Fox 10 that officers found the kids “sweating and hot to the touch with red skin” and noted “signs of distress,” “discoloration,” and “sweat­ing.”

Each child’s internal body temperature was reportedly near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, consistent with heat distress, and officials warned they were in “imminent danger of death” had help not arrived.

Largo denied the kids were his

Once officers arrived, they gained entry to the car, secured the children, provided water, and placed them in an air‑conditioned police SUV before transporting them to a hospital for evaluation. All four children are expected to recover fully.

Inside the adult store, the father could not be contacted, despite repeated announcements by staff. When officers entered the store, they called out for Largo but received no response, prompting the cops to exit, but they later spotted Largo leaving through a back door.

At that point, he denied the car was his until law enforcement confronted him, after which time he reportedly said, “Oh s—t,” according to AZ Family.

“Children and dogs die in closed cars”

During his initial court appearance, Maricopa County Commissioner Jane McLaughlin called the incident “shocking,” saying, “It just indicates a strong level of reckless culpability. It’s difficult to say that anybody who grew up in Arizona doesn’t know that children and dogs die in closed cars.”

The judge at Largo’s initial hearing added, “You could have exited that store to a car full of your dead children, which is rather shocking,” underscoring how narrowly disaster was avoided.

Largo now faces eight felony counts, four counts of child abuse, and four counts of endangerment, and his bail was set at $5,000. He has a prior criminal history, including a DUI, and is currently ordered to stay away from his children, who are under their mother’s care.