3-year-old rescued after accidentally locking himself inside father's car at Toa Payoh

A three-year-old boy triggered the auto-locking mechanism of his father's car, trapping himself inside for half an hour on Wednesday evening (April 4), before he was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers.

The incident happened at a carpark in front of Block 138A Toa Payoh Lorong 1, and SCDF officers responded to the situation at around 7pm, rescuing the boy by prying open a car door.

A witness who declined to be named told Lianhe Wanbao that she was passing by and went forward to understand the situation. 

She said that the child’s father was standing by the side of the car and trying to console his son.

He looked tense and was intending to call a locksmith, but decided not to do so after hearing that it could take up to an hour.

The man thus decided to call the SCDF for help.

According to Lianhe Wanbao, the boy’s father had alighted the vehicle to retrieve something from the left passenger seat.

Before he stepped out of the vehicle, he handed the car keys to his son who was in a child seat. 

However, as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle, the boy accidentally pressed a button on the keys, locking himself in. 

Upon arriving at the scene, SCDF officers used a pry bar to open the car door and rescued the boy. 

In response to media queries, the SCDF confirmed the incident and said paramedics assessed the boy and concluded that he did not sustain any injuries.

As such he was not taken to a hospital.