We’ve reported before on the dangers of leaving children in hot cars—an act that’s not only reckless but potentially fatal. On sweltering days, even a few minutes can lead to heatstroke, unconsciousness, or even death. That’s why police officers are always on high alert, especially when patrolling parking lots under the blazing sun.
One such incident took an unexpected turn in Keene, New Hampshire.
Officer Jason Short was on duty when a call came in: a baby had been left alone in a parked car outside a Walmart on a dangerously hot day. Without hesitation, Jason sped to the scene.
“I got there as fast as I could,” he told WMUR, recalling the urgency he felt.
Peering through the car window, Jason spotted what appeared to be a baby wrapped in a blanket, its tiny feet visible through the glass. With the summer heat bearing down, he had no way of knowing how long the child had been trapped inside. Acting quickly, Jason smashed the window with his baton and carefully pulled the motionless infant into his arms.
The baby was pale and lifeless. Fearing the worst, Jason began CPR while bystanders gathered, and someone called for an ambulance.
Then came the shock.
As Jason administered CPR, he started to realize something was off. The skin felt different. The weight was odd. That’s when it hit him—this wasn’t a real baby.
It was a lifelike doll.
The doll’s owner, Carolynne Seiffer, returned to find her car window shattered and a crowd surrounding her $2,000 hyper-realistic doll, named Ainsley.
“I’ve been laughed at and embarrassed by all the attention,” Carolynne shared. But for her, the doll serves a deeper purpose. She owns around 40 of these dolls as part of her healing process after losing her son—a grief management technique known to bring comfort to many parents coping with loss.
“You never know how people deal with their pain,” she added.
Though slightly embarrassed by the mix-up, Officer Short has no regrets. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said. “I’ll always treat it as a real child—because what if it had been?”
The Keene Police Department even covered the $300 bill to replace Carolynne’s window, understanding the delicate nature of the situation.
In the end, while the baby turned out to be a doll, the story reminds us of something very real: when it comes to saving a life, there’s no room for hesitation—even if the truth turns out to be stranger than fiction.
