Quick-thinking girl, 7, uses MALLET to smash car window and escape 150F torture after grandad left her inside while shopping at Walmart

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:13, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 22:15, 20 July 2026 A brave young girl broke free from a sweltering 150F car by smashing its window with a mallet after her grandfather allegedly left her there while he went to Walmart, police said.  Eddie Espinoza, 62, was taken into custody last week by the Thornton Police Department over the July 6 incident, the agency said on Wednesday.  The seven-year-old, who has not been identified, was allegedly left to fend for herself inside the car while Espinoza went shopping inside a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Thornton around 5.30pm, according to authorities.  When officers were called to the scene, they found that the passenger's side window had been broken by the child, police said.  Bystanders assisted the quick-thinking girl out of the car and stayed with her until cops got there. A harrowing image shared by the agency showed a gaping hole in the passenger side window of the blue car.  Shards of glass were seen thrown on the pavement and inside the vehicle in the picture. The car is suspected to have reached an internal temperature of more than 150F as the outside measurement reached around 90F that day, police said.  A seven-year-old girl used a mallet to smash a car window to escape a 150F car on July 6, according to the Thornton Police Department The girl received medical treatment at the scene and suffered minor injuries from the broken glass, according to authorities.  Her grandfather has since been arrested and hit with child abuse charges after he allegedly admitted to leaving his grandchild alone while he went shopping that day, officials said.  It is unclear when he is due in court.  The Daily Mail contacted the Thornton Police Department and the Thornton City Attorney's Office for comment.  The near-tragedy came just days before a curious Louisiana boy died in a roasting car after he climbed into his neighbor's unlocked vehicle and couldn't get out.  Jahcari Kash James, three, was found unconscious inside a hot vehicle at 3.15pm on July 10 in Ponchatoula, where temperatures reached a sweltering high of 93F.  Her grandfather has since been arrested and hit with child abuse charges after he allegedly admitted to leaving his grandchild alone while he went shopping that day inside the Walmart (pictured) Ponchatoula police were called to the residence in the area of Methvin Lane, where detectives believe the child wandered from his home and entered the nearby parked car.  Family members noticed the toddler was missing and turned to neighbors for help. 'A short time later, the vehicle owner located the child in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, where temperatures were extremely high,' the department said in a Facebook statement. 'The child’s family members attempted life-saving measures while awaiting the arrival of emergency services,' they added. Jahcari was taken by ambulance to North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond, where he was later pronounced dead. The medical examiner noted the child was in the car for 50 minutes, the police previously told Daily Mail. There have been at least 12 pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths (PVH) this year alone, according to the National Safety Commission (NSC). There were 31 last year, the organization stated.  An average of 37 children under the age of 15 die every year from heatstroke inside a hot vehicle, the NSC said.