Infant who died in Upper St. Clair after being left in vehicle for hours is identified

A 3-month-old boy died Thursday after police said he was left inside a vehicle for several hours in Upper St. Clair.

Allegheny County Police Lt. Venerando Costa said in a statement Friday that it will be up to District Attorney’s Office as to whether charges are filed in the child’s death, a decision that likely won’t come until the medical examiner’s office rules on a cause and manner of death.

Officials identified the infant as Kayden Nguyen of Peters Township.

Costa said Upper St. Clair officers were called to Fort Couch Road about 5 p.m. Thursday for a report of an unresponsive child. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and it was determined he’d been left in his father’s Toyota Sienna minivan for “several hours.”

Costa said investigators are “working to confirm the timeline of events” via security footage from the area, and they are downloading the minivan’s on-board computer data.

“Our department is working closely with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office and the medical examiner’s office,” he said. “When the medical examiner’s office determines the cause and manner of death, a charging decision will be made.”

Until then, he said, police will have no further comment.

Anyone with information is asked to call the county police tip line at 1-833-255-8477 (833-ALL-TIPS). Callers can remain anonymous.

Around the time of the incident, the heat index in the Pittsburgh area was 99 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures inside a vehicle during such weather can far exceed that, the weather service said.

“If the temperature is 90 degrees outside, after 30 minutes it can feel like it is 120 degrees inside a vehicle and it can reach 133 degrees after 60 minutes,” said meteorologist Shannon Hefferan. “It’s like a greenhouse (inside a vehicle).”