A mother from New Jersey has been arrested and charged about a month after her 1-year-old child was found unresponsive in a hot car, according to prosecutors.
Chaya Shurkin, 25, was charged with second degree endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly leaving the young child in a hot vehicle for about two and a half hours on May 6, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
“The investigation determined that the act of leaving the child in the car unattended for such a long period of time was the cause and manner of the child’s death,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in the statement.
Prosecutors said the 25-year-old has yet to appear in court, reported the news station.
“The National Safety Council advises parents and caregivers to stick to a routine and avoid distractions to reduce the risk of forgetting a child. Keep car doors locked so children cannot gain access, and teach them that cars are not play areas. Place a purse, briefcase or even a left shoe in the back seat to force you to take one last glance,” the safety council said.
Similar Case
In a similar case in Florida, a woman was charged with homicide-neglect manslaughter, neglect of a child, three counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, and possession of drug equipment, after her 2-year-old was found dead in a hot car parked outside, police said, reported Pensacola News Journal.Escambia County Sheriff’s Major Andrew Hobbs said Jessica Monell arrived home at around 6 a.m. on April 10, and went inside, leaving her 2-year-old daughter Joy Monell in the car.
“She got home and went inside to sleep. She forgot her kid was left in the car,” Hobbs said, according to the news website. “The poor child had to sit in the car for over eight hours in the heat.”
Monell didn’t wake up until around 4 p.m. but by then, the little girl was already dead, the sheriff major said. Monell was found sobbing hysterically on her living room floor when police arrived.
