By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Bergen County have charged a man with child neglect after a six-month-old baby was discovered crying alone inside a parked SUV in Rochelle Park on Sunday afternoon.
According to information released by the Rochelle Park Police Department, a passerby alerted authorities around 4:30 p.m. after hearing an infant crying inside a vehicle parked on Rochelle Avenue.
Officers arrived to find the SUV turned off, with the windows down and the baby strapped in a rear-facing car seat—completely unattended.
Emergency medical services were called to the scene to assess the child’s condition. Approximately 17 minutes later, the infant’s father returned to the vehicle, police said.
The child was taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precaution.
Officials from the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency also responded and met with the family at the hospital.
The father, a 46-year-old man from Englewood, was charged with child neglect and released on a summons.
He is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.