Florida man arrested for leaving son in hot car goes back to same bar he was in when toddler died

A Florida father was arrested after he left his 18-month-old in a hot car for three hours as he went out for a haircut and drinks.

The story begins on June 6, when Scott Allen Gardner, 33, left his 18-month-old son in the back of his truck with no air conditioning.

“Gardner lowered the windows and had a small portable fan on, but it barely reached the child,” according to local station WESH.

After leaving the child in the car, Gardner got a haircut and then enjoyed some drinks at Hanky Panky’s Lounge. When he finally returned to the vehicle, his son was effectively dead.

An 18-month-old boy died in Ormond Beach, Florida, after being left in a hot truck for over 3 hours while his father, Scott Allen Gardner, got a haircut and drank at a bar. Gardner was arrested for aggravated child abuse and manslaughter. (FOX) pic.twitter.com/cGMdX2HedI

— NTC Feed (@NTC_Feed) June 20, 2025

Instead of immediately calling the police, he took off for his mother’s house and called for help there, by which time the boy, Sebastian, had been dead for over an hour.

When the authorities found the car, they discovered that Sebastian’s body temperature was 111 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, an officer performed CPR on him and then took him to a hospital where he was declared dead shortly thereafter.

But it gets so much worse. After reporting his son dead, Gardner went out with his mom for even more drinks.

“Father of the Year. Baby’s dead, investigation is going on. What does he do? He picks up his mother, and they go back to Hanky Panky for a few more cocktails, and they’re there until almost midnight,” Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood said during a Friday press conference.

“This father is a human piece of garbage, and he’s a lying sack of s–t. My hope for him is every night when he closes his eyes and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son, Sebastian, sits there and says, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?’” he added.

Listen:

SICKENING: Florida dad Scott Gardner left his baby in a hot car for 3 HOURS while he got a haircut & drank at a bar.

The child died — and Gardner went back to the bar the same night.

Sheriff Chitwood: “There’s no penalty on this earth that fits this crime.”

PURE EVIL.… pic.twitter.com/bJwmbsQMhP

— SuzanJ (@shadowJ47) June 20, 2025

Garner also lied to the authorities.

“Gardner gave multiple false accounts of what occurred,” the Sentinel notes. “He initially told police he had given CPR to Sebastian and his eyes opened, which made him think everything might be OK.”

But Chitwood didn’t buy it, and rightly so, for Gardner eventually confessed to the truth.

Gardner was finally arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect on Thursday, a day before the presser.

Today, VSO deputies & Ormond Beach PD arrested Scott Allen Gardner, 33, for aggravated manslaughter of a child.

Gardner is responsible for the death of his son Sebastian (18 mos.), left helpless in a hot truck for 3+ hours while Gardner got a haircut & went drinking at a bar. pic.twitter.com/43vUvO66a8

— Volusia Sheriff (@VolusiaSheriff) June 19, 2025

Investigators were reportedly traumatized by the case.

“I just can’t stop thinking about young Sebastian in that car seat … that thought can’t leave my brain,” Ormond Beach Chief Jesse Godfrey told the Sentinel. “I know our detectives are impacted by it, and it’s just a horrible thing. I’m just glad he’s being held accountable.’

But it still gets worse.

A bartender at the bar where Gardner got drinks revealed to the police that, while he was there, he went out once to check whether the bartender’s car had been hit by another car. But while checking on the car, he never took the time to check on Sebastian.

Critics are now calling for Gardner to face the death penalty.

Look:

Honestly, I can’t with these stories. Death penalty isn’t strong enough for these people.

— CryptoKeepr2.0 (@CryptoKeeprv2) June 20, 2025

He just needs to face the death penalty. I will feel better knowing I’m not sharing oxygen with that POS.

— Charles (@CharlesHuntNews) June 20, 2025

Death penalty. Why should taxpayers have to support people like this for the rest of their lives? We need to execute more people, and capital crimes will be reduced exponentially.

— Lanny Lutz (@lanny_lutz) June 20, 2025

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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