[Music] You kids have been outside in a hot car for about an hour. >> The door open. >> On May 22nd, 2023, an old van sat parked in the lot of the Park Colony Apartments in Illinois. Under the 80° of midday sun, its metal body turned scorching hot, and the interior became an oven. Inside that suffocating space were six children, all under the age of seven. A newborn was strapped in a car seat while the others, drenched in sweat, cried desperately from thirst and fear. Not a single adult was nearby. An emergency call was made. Only when police officers and firefighters arrived. >> Your kids have been outside in a hot car for about an hour. >> Did the cruel truth emerge. The very father of these six children had abandoned them inside this sweltering oven. When first responders reached the scene, the apartment complex manager reported that the van had been parked there for at least an hour. Another witness said he had heard children crying continuously while working outside. At the scene, officers noted that the windows were cracked open only slightly. >> Hey, how are you? >> How you guys doing? >> Is your mom and dad here somewhere? Did they tell you where they're going? My dad went in the building. >> He what? >> Oh yeah, that's the name. But another >> the building. >> Your dad did. What's your dad's name? >> He went into that building. Does anybody live here that you know? Uncle >> There was no food or water and the children were visibly exhausted from the heat. A phone left inside the vehicle displayed dad on the screen, but had been set to airplane mode, making contact impossible. All these details confirmed that the six children had indeed been left in a life-threatening situation. Where had their father been all this time, and what could possibly drive him to abandon his six children inside a van trapped in the midday heat? Not long after, police located the owner of the van in a nearby apartment. It was Johnny Hearns, the father of all six children. >> Johnny Hearns Roberting over here. >> I'm cleaning uh uh somebody's house. >> Okay. >> Direct my kids. >> Okay, I get that. But you know that six kids in a car left unattended. You can't do that, man. Especially when it's hot outside. It's 80° outside. >> Get his ID. I didn't want him to um bring them inside because it's just like I'm doing a job per se. So when I'm doing a job, >> I don't know if he will allow the kids to come in. I actually don't he didn't give me an answer. >> But according to a lot of these neighbors, these kids have been out here for an hour >> with nothing to drink in the car. >> He admitted they were his kids, but immediately tried to justify his actions. He claimed his wife had gone grocery shopping while he was out cleaning houses to earn money for the family. He insisted he had only been gone a few minutes and had left food and water in the vehicle, but the evidence at the scene told a very different story. Witnesses confirmed the van had been there for at least an hour. The children repeatedly said they were waiting for dad, never mentioning their mother. No food or water was found inside the vehicle. The contradiction revealed a troubling paradox. The father tried to present himself as responsible for working to provide. Yet his actions placed six young lives in grave danger. In 80 degree of weather, it takes only minutes for the temperature inside a closed vehicle to soar past 100 or 20°. For children, especially infants, this can quickly lead to heat stroke, brain damage, or death. Cracking the windows made no meaningful difference. The prolonged cries and flushed faces of the children showed just how urgent the situation had become. Officers had no choice but to immediately transport all six children to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital for emergency treatment and medical evaluation. One by one, the children were carried out of the van, their faces still etched with fear and distress. Fortunately, all six survived and none were in critical condition. The parking lot eventually returned to silence, but it was a silence heavy with irony. The very place meant to be safest. The care of a parent had become the deadliest threat to these children's lives. After his arrest, Johnny Hearns was charged with six counts of child endangerment, one charge for each child. He was released on his own recgnizance, meaning he was required to appear in court, but did not have to post bail. Under Illinois law, these charges can result in prison time or probation, depending on the severity of the case and the defendant's prior record. In Illinois, the law is clear. Leaving a child unattended in circumstances that threaten their health or safety constitutes child endangerment. The fact that six children were abandoned at once made the case far more serious. Psychologically, Hearn's excuse of working to earn money for the kids cannot justify his actions. In reality, he attempted to deflect responsibility by blaming his wife for going shopping, even though the children's own statements directly contradicted him. The most alarming part was not only the dangerous heat inside the van, but also the father's indifference and blatant denial of responsibility. Those six children were lucky to survive that day. Had rescue come only minutes later, the outcome could have been tragic. Children cannot choose their parents, nor can they save themselves when abandoned. Every careless decision an adult makes can cost a child's life. The case in day planes stands as a painful warning. Just a few minutes of adult negligence can turn into a crime. And sometimes it is neighbors, witnesses, or a timely emergency call that makes the difference between life and death for innocent