A father from New Jersey is in trouble with the law for allegedly leaving his infant child in a vehicle for several hours. The incident reportedly occurred because he forgot to drop off the child with a babysitter.
The man, identified as Moshe Ehrlich, aged 35 and residing in Lakewood, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, as stated by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer on March 20. The events unfolded when the Lakewood Township police responded to a distress call regarding an infant trapped in a car around 1:45 p.m. on March 18, according to Billhimer.
Upon the arrival of law enforcement, volunteer medics were already providing essential care to Ehrlich’s 4-month-old baby. Subsequently, the infant was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus by emergency responders, where he was tragically declared deceased by medical professionals.
“Responding Officers found Hatzolah Medical Services attempting to render lifesaving aid to a 4-month-old male infant,” the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated.
On March 20, Ehrlich went to Lakewood Township police headquarters and surrendered. Officers took him to the Ocean County Jail.
Nj.com reports that Ehrlich intended to leave his baby with a babysitter before taking his other child to daycare, according to his defense attorney, Yosef Jacobovitch. He called the infant’s death an “absolute tragedy.”
The parents had safeguards, including signs and reminders, to prevent leaving the baby in the car, Jacobovitch reportedly added.
“In this instance, he drove to drop off the child by the babysitter, realized that he didn’t have the babysitter’s diaper bag, dropped off the second child, then went back home,” Jacobovitch added.
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[Feature Photo via Ocean County Corrections]
