VAUGHAN, Ont. -- A 35-year-old Ottawa man has been charged after police say two young girls were found unattended in a hot car north of Toronto.

York Regional Police say a passerby noticed the children -- aged three and six -- inside a car parked at a shopping plaza (on Highway 27 north of Highway 7) in Vaughan, Ont., shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday.

It's not known exactly how long the girls were left in the vehicle but temperatures at the time were around 29 C.

Police say the concerned passerby got the children out of the vehicle and took them to a fitness centre where authorities were called.

Paramedics assessed the girls at the scene.

Police say the girls' father has been charged with leaving a child unattended.