A New Jersey father has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after his 8-week-old daughter died after reportedly being left in a hot car for several hours.
According to the prosecutor’s office, police from the Lakewood Township Police Department received a complaint of an infant in cardiac arrest at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, July 15. Although first responders administered first aid to the kid, she was pronounced dead on the spot, according to local outlet NJ.com.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated on Tuesday, July 16, that the baby’s 28-year-old father was detained after the 2-month-old was allegedly left in a car for “an extended period.”
According to ABC News and NJ.com, the temperature in the area on Monday was 89 degrees, with a heat index of 103 degrees in Lakewood Township.
Ocean County prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer claimed in a press release that “leaving the infant in the car unattended for such a long period was the cause and manner of the infant’s death.”
The baby’s father, Avraham Chaitovsky of Jackson, New Jersey, was arrested and imprisoned at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River. He was released after a court appearance on Tuesday, according to NJ.com.
According to the publication, Chaitovsky’s court records currently do not indicate an attorney. It’s unclear whether he has entered a plea.
According to authorities, the investigation is ongoing, and more charges may be filed.
The Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for much of New Jersey from Sunday, July 14 to Wednesday, July 17.
The nonprofit National Safety Council (NSC) revealed that 13 children in the United States had died as a result of being left in a hot automobile so far in 2024.
This year’s deaths include a 2-year-old girl in Arizona whose father is charged with second-degree murder in her death, a 2-year-old boy in Arkansas whose parents are charged with capital murder in addition to other alleged crimes such as neglect and endangering the welfare of a minor, and an 8-year-old girl in North Carolina whose mother is charged with involuntary manslaughter and child abuse by willful act causing serious injury.
According to PEOPLE, the average number of kid hot car deaths per year is 37, while the campaign website NoHeatStroke.org estimates that over 980 children have died as a result of being left in a hot car since 1998.