DENVER -- A 24-year-old man from North Dakota was served with a misdemeanor summons for animal cruelty after a dog he left in a vehicle died Tuesday while he was attending the "American Idol" auditions with a friend, police said.

Quincy Vanderbilt, 24, drove from North Dakota with his girlfriend, who was auditioning for "American Idol" at Invesco Field, authorities said.

They left the dog in the parked car in the stadium parking lot, said police spokesman Sonny Jackson.

Temperatures on Tuesday reached 90 degrees.

"When he checked on the dog later in the afternoon, it was dead," Jackson said.

Jackson said the case serves "as a reminder of the dangers of summer heat."

"Most people don't realize how hot it can get in a parked car on a balmy day. However, on a 78 degree day, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees -- and hit a scorching 160 degrees if parked in the sun," Jackson said.

It is not known how far Vanderbilt's girlfriend got in the audition process.