NJ Toddler Dies
After Being Left in Car for Up to 7 Hours: Sources
A 2-year-old girl was found dead in the back seat of
a car in a New Jersey driveway after she may have been
left in there for more than seven hours on an especially
warm summer day, according to sources and neighbors.
The child, who neighbors said was a young girl, was
found around 2 p.m. Tuesday in a car parked outside a
Franklin Township home, law enforcement sources with
knowledge of the situation told NBC New York. Police
opened the doors to the car, and made the grim
discovery.
Neighbors on the quiet suburban street
said it appeared that the parents did not realize the
child had been in the car. They said that officers
knocked on the front door of the home after finding the
child, and described hearing the pain from the parents
after they learned.
"They were just screaming in
pain and anguish. She collapsed to the ground and he
went to console her," said a neighbor. "They’re great
parents. I’ve seen them be very loving and doting on
their daughters."
Another neighbor said that the
child's mother was taken away in an ambulance after
collapsing on the front lawn.
"How can that
happen? How do you forget? I guess we’re all forgetful,
I’ve forgotten things in the car. But how do you forget
the toddler, you know? I don’t know," said neighbor Alex
Krstavski.
Law enforcement officials said it was
unclear if the toddler was in a car seat.