Babies left in car

A Fullerton woman was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment after her twin babies were found in a car with its windows rolled up at South Coast Plaza on Thursday afternoon.

Police said Ellen Lee, 27, left her two 23-month-old boys in the car while she shopped at the mall for half an hour. Police officers forced their way into the car when the children were noticed.

Lee said her children were sleeping and she left them in the car because she didn’t want to wake them up, police said.

Lee was arrested and booked at Orange County Jail on $100,000 bail. The children were released to Lee’s husband.

“Never leave your child in a car unattended, for obvious reasons,” said Costa Mesa Sgt. Marty Carver.

With warmer temperatures on the way, leaving a child in a car can be deadly because children, especially babies, can quickly become dehydrated, Carver said.

It’s also dangerous because a car thief could steal the car with the children inside, or a predator could take the children, Carver said.