Police responded to a strip mall in the 1200 block of South High School Road on the city's west side after an employee at a staffing center called 911 and reported the children in the van.

Police said the children's parents, Mohammad Abjulaziz, 30, and Nasebah Khiat, 24, both of Indianapolis, were shopping in a nearby grocery store.

Ahmad Aburumman, owner of the grocery store, said the parents were inside his store for more than 20 minutes.

He said when he discovered the kids were outside, he confronted their father.

"I came back to my store and I say to my customer, 'Why you do this? Just bring your son with you. Why you do this? You can't care for your son if you're in here.' He say nothing," Aburumman said.

"We just cannot afford to have these type of errors where we err in judgment thinking, 'Well, I can run into the store and come back out,'" said IMPD spokesman Kendale Adams. "It is extremely too hot, these children were extremely young."

The youngest child, a 3-month-old, was sweating profusely, police said.

The children range in age from 3 months old to 5 years old.

At least one child was taken to the hospital for observation, but none of the children seemed to suffer serious injuries, police said.

Temperatures soared into the high 90s Thursday afternoon.

A witness told police the children had been in the van a "long time."

Police said both parents have been arrested on preliminary neglect charges.