A father’s plea to all parents after child died in a hot car

A father who fatally left his three-year-old son in a hot car in circumstances eerily similar to the death of a toddler outside a daycare this week is advocating for greater awareness of forgotten baby syndrome.

Three-year-old Arikh Hasan, pictured with his father Newaz Arikh Hasan (left), died when left in a hot car two years ago. One-year-old Olivia Ancelet (right) was found unresponsive in her family's vehicle outside a daycare centre this week.

A Sydney father who fatally left his three-year-old son in a hot car is advocating for greater awareness of forgotten baby syndrome after another toddler died in eerily similar circumstances this week.

Newaz Hasan’s was going about his morning school and childcare routine in February 2023, when his youngest child Arikh unusually fell asleep in the back seat of the family’s Toyota Corolla.

The silence in the car, something Mr Hasan insisted was an anomaly for the young “chatterbox”, meant the father forgot to drop him to daycare, and instead drove to work.

When Mr Hasan returned to his car parked in Glenfield, in the city’s southwest, where the temperature reached 35C that day, the boy had died.

“Hot weather can put a family upside down,” Mr Hasan said. “Every parent should know forgotten baby syndrome exists and it can happen to anyone”.

Newaz Hasan (right) accidentally left his son Arikh (second from right) in a hot car in 2023.

In tragically similar circumstances, a 14-month-old girl died in a car at Earlwood on Tuesday when her father forgot to drop her to daycare.

Etienne Ancelet dropped his wife Kim to the train station about 8.30am then, instead of taking their daughter Olivia to the early learning centre, drove home.

One-year-old Olivia Ancelet was found unresponsive in her family's vehicle outside Jelly Beings Early Learning Centre in Earlwood just after 5.30pm on Tuesday.

Police said the girl was in the car until 5.30pm when Mr Ancelet went to the childcare centre to collect her, only to realise his mistake.

All too familiar with the situation, Mr Hasan wants more people to be aware of a condition that affects the memory, which is also known as “fatal distraction”.

“Kid safety has always been my top priority,” he said. “Before February 2023 (when his child died), if anyone would share with me what I am sharing, I would now have a family as happy as yours.”

Scientists believe forgotten baby syndrome is a condition by short-term memory being impaired by things such as sleep deprivation, exhaustion or illness.

Mr Hasan said “if you are human, or a parent, it can happen to you”.

He said simple steps such as checking the back seat before you leave a vehicle, not taking phone calls in the car or having a childcare provider contact you if your child is not dropped off, could save a life.

Detectives are still piecing together the circumstances surrounding the latest tragedy, and have extensively interviewed little Olivia’s father after he was released from hospital where he was treated for shock.

According to Kids and Cars safety website, 16 children worldwide have died from being left in cars in the past two years.

Mr Hasan said that was 16 too many.

“We all just need to be aware and make simple changes,” he said.

An inquest into Arikh’s death is expected to be held later this year.

Originally published as A father’s plea to all parents after child died in a hot car