A mother and stepfather were arrested in Boca Raton Friday after two children were found in a running car in an underground parking garage.

According to officials with the Boca Raton police department, a 5 year-old girl and 11 year-old boy were found when a maintenance worker noticed an exhaust fan which vents the garage had been running for more than two hours. The worker found that the fan had been turned on after a carbon monoxide detector had gone off.

Police say the man then noticed a vehicle was running near the detector and two children were locked in the backseat. Responding officers spoke with the children who informed them that their parents were upstairs cleaning.

The children’s mother, Tatiano Marinho and their stepfather, Breno Lopes were questioned. The couple first claimed that one parent had stayed in the car with the children for most of the time, however garage surveillance video shows both adults were upstairs cleaning.

The two were arrested and charged with child neglect.

If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime, or need legal advice in the area of criminal law, contact a Boca Raton criminal defense lawyer of Eric N. Klein & Associates, P.A. by calling 561-353-2800.