A father whose 11-month-old twins died after he apparently forgot he left them in his hot car for hours told police “I killed my babies”, prosecutors claim.

Juan Rodriguez, 39, said he thought he had dropped them off at daycare in New York before he went to work at a hospital on Friday morning, according to the district attorney’s office.

But the twins were left in the car for around eight hours on a day when temperatures in the Bronx reached the mid-80s Fahrenheit.

Rodriguez, a social worker, wept in court in the Bronx as he pleaded not guilty to two counts each of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of a child.

He was released on Saturday on $100,000 bail and is due to appear again in court on 1 August.

Investigators believe Rodriguez had parked his silver Honda Accord with the twins, Phoenix and Luna, in car seats in the back, around 8am on Friday.

It appeared he went back to the vehicle at about 4pm after finishing work and only realised the children were inside when he drove off and then frantically called 911.

The twins were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to prosecutors, he told police: “I blanked out. My babies are dead. I killed my babies.”

Rodriguez’s lawyer Joey Jackson said: “My client is inconsolable. He is beside himself in grief, and he’s been that way for a period of time, and I’m concerned about his mental health.”

New York City council member Fernando Cabrera said. “The vehicle had tinted windows, so it was almost impossible for anybody to notice that the children were there.”

The deaths come after last week’s heatwave, which prompted officials to warn parents against leaving their children in cars.

According to kidsandcars.org, there have been 21 deaths this year in the US as of 16 July.

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