A pair of twin babies’ lives was cut short after they were left behind in a vehicle for hours in Kingsbridge on a day when temperatures reached the mid-80s, according to police.

The one-year-old victims, identified as Mariza and Phoenix Rodriguez, were found in a Honda Accord that had stopped at the corner of Kingsbridge Road and Kingsbridge Terrace at around 4:08 p.m. after the victim’s father discovered his children inside. The vehicle’s rear windows were tinted, preventing anyone from seeing inside.

Then father was identified as Juan Rodriguez, 39, a Rockland County resident and social worker for the James J. Peters Veterans Administration Hospital. Rodriguez reportedly called the deaths an accident after saying he left them in the car for hours to go to work, was taken into custody for questioning at the 52nd Precinct. He was charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide. He remains on suicide watch at the Bronx Central Booking.

Before heading in for work, the father was to bring the twins to daycare, but forgot and went to work, leaving his children inside, according to one source.

News of the incident stunned residents in the neighborhood, with several suspecting it was more than an accident. Like many in the crowd, lifelong Kingsbridge resident C.J. Rivera, 36, was quick to pass judgement on what he felt was a heartless crime, stating, “He came down here and tried to make it look spontaneous. To me it looked intentional. How can you do that to two kids?” Rivera and a couple of friends would light several candles and leave them in the street.

One furious woman showed no sympathy, fuming, “They should castrate him or put him in front of a firing squad. Don’t tell me he didn’t know.”

“My heart is broken,” said Councilman Fernando Cabrera, whose district covers Kingsbridge.  “Two innocent babies lost their lives, dying from heat in a parked car at a major facility in an area of heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  This happens far too often, even with caring parents who cannot explain why it happened.”

The two babies reportedly had just celebrated their first birthday’s earlier this month. The National Safety Council, a non-profit that promotes health and safety for children, reported that 52 children died in hot cars last year in the United States.

The Kids Transportation Safety Act was passed in 2008, before lawmakers could include rear-seat occupancy sensors that would tell a driver that occupants are in the backseat. Advocates were recently on Capitol Hill promoting the Hot Cars Act of 2019, which is opposed by many top automakers. The legislation passed the House of Representatives, but died in the Senate.

The Bronx V.A. Hospital has declined comment until Monday morning, but one security guard at the hospital did confirm that NYPD detectives had visited the hospital to speak with staff and look at surveillance video.

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