8-week-old girl dies in hot car in New Jersey, father arrested

8-week-old girl dies in hot car in New Jersey, father arrested

A father was arrested after his eight-week-old daughter died when she was left in a hot car in New Jersey, authorities said.

At around 1:45 p.m. on Monday, authorities in Lakewood Township responded to a report that a baby had gone into cardiac arrest, the Ocean County District Attorney’s Office said. The 8-week-old baby was pronounced dead at the scene.

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The baby was left alone in his father’s car “for an extended period of time,” which was determined to be the cause and manner of death, prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday.

The heat index (perceived temperature with high humidity) rose to 41.6 degrees Celsius in Lakewood Township on Monday.

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The baby’s father, 28-year-old Avraham Chaitovsky, has been charged with endangering the child’s welfare, prosecutors said.

The investigation is ongoing and further charges are possible, prosecutors said.

According to the national nonprofit organization KidsAndCars.org, at least eleven children have died in overheated cars in the United States this year.

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Since 1990, at least 1,095 children have died in overheated cars – and about 88% of those children were three years old or younger, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Click here for hot car safety tips to keep in mind this summer.

8-week-old girl dies in hot car in New Jersey, father arrested originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

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