A New Jersey father has been arrested and charged with child endangerment after his 8-week-old daughter died after being left in a hot car on Monday afternoon.
A New Jersey father has been arrested and charged with child endangerment after his 8-week-old daughter died after being left in a hot car on Monday afternoon.
Avraham Chaitovsky, 28, was arrested on Tuesday after his daughter was left in the vehicle for an extended period of time. The incident occurred in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, where temperatures reached the mid-90s on Monday.
Father Arrested in New Jersey After 8-Week-Old Daughter Dies in Hot Car
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, police were called to the scene on New Egypt Road at around 1:45 p.m. for a report of a pediatric patient in cardiac arrest.
Responding officers found Hatzolah Medical Services, a volunteer ambulance service, attempting to render lifesaving aid to Chaitovsky's daughter. However, the infant was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Father Arrested in New Jersey After 8-Week-Old Daughter Dies in Hot Car
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that the infant was left alone in Chaitovsky's vehicle for an extended period of time.
Investigators say that the act of leaving the infant in the car unattended for so long was the cause and manner of the infant's death.
Father Arrested in New Jersey After 8-Week-Old Daughter Dies in Hot Car
Chaitovsky was taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail. He has been released since then.
The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors say Chaitovsky may face additional charges.
Father Arrested in New Jersey After 8-Week-Old Daughter Dies in Hot Car
The tragic incident comes as baking heat grips New Jersey and many parts of the United States. Lakewood has been under an excessive-heat warning since Sunday.
Nearly 160 million Americans, or about 50% of the population, were under heat alert this week, including Lakewood.
Every year, dozens of American children die from being left inside hot vehicles, with the majority of cases stemming from parents forgetting they had left them there in the first place.
According to Kids and Car Safety, a group that tracks hot car deaths, there have been 1,083 hot car deaths in the United States since 1990.
The summer months are the most prevalent time for hot car deaths, with children under the age of two being most at risk. Parents are urged to be aware of the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles, even for a short period of time.
