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Passaic, NJ: Child Forgotten In Car For Hours, Nearly Dies


staroflife.gifA favor for a neighbor turned into a nightmare for a Passaic woman, when she agreed to watch a 2-year-old boy while his parents were out of town.

Now, the boy is hospitalized, and she’s accused of leaving him alone in a hot car for hours.

It was in the third row of a Chevy Suburban that the boy was left alone to brave the hot air inside the SUV with the windows shut and the doors locked, police said.

Sgt. Robert Bracken said she picked up the boy from a friend’s house along with other children in addition to her own to take them to a day care center.

Clifton police said the driver did not realize that the 2-year-old was still inside the car. Police said she drove back to her home, leaving the child inside Tuesday.

It wasn’t until four hours later did she find the boy’s lifeless body while running an errand at the Home Depot.

After performing CPR, the child was Boruch Hashem revived and rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he is being treated for hyperthermia.

According to police, the woman is friends with the boy’s family and was taking care of him while parents were away in Vermont.

According to witnesses, if the child had been in the vehicle any longer, he might not have survived.

YWN once again reminds it’s readers: Never leave a child alone in a vehicle for a second – be it summer or winter. Unfortunantly, YWN reported quite a few incidents last summer involving such incidents.

(YWN Desk – NYC / WNBC / CBS2 HD)



54 Responses

  2. I think a “child checklist” should be instituted for all parents and babysitters for kids 5 and under who tend to be asleep when noone seems to know.

  7. It is in the summmer when parents want to go on vaction and leave their kids with other, usually busy friends. Parents, you are blessed with children, care for them, take care of them, love them. There is such a need to run on vacation and then…leave the children. Everyone needs to get away, there are sollutions, paid babysitters, taking children along etc.. Leaving your children with other parents that have multiple responsibilities is something to think about.

  8. Your article neglects to gratefully acknowledge that CPR was initiated by Edwin Vasquez at Home Depot. Through his quick actions he no doubt saved this toddler’s life. Bless you Mr. Vasquez.

  9. I realize that it’s much easier for a father – or someone that’s not the child’s mother – to forget about the child, especially if they fell asleep in the car, or were just plain quiet.

    That’s why when I drive my young kids around, I constantly remind myself about their presence in the car, such as by setting alarms, etc. — VERY IMPORTANT, COULD SAVE A LIFE!

  10. The woman who forgot the child in the car and the child hismelf are both frum people. The child still rerquires tefillos but I heard he is in stable condition. The woman is due in court on child abandonment charges and also needs tefillos. I do not have names.

  12. All I can say is how shocked I am by the exaggeration that is written here. It is absolutely disgusting. The story above is making the woman look extremely guilty of severe crime- the women never intentionally left the child in the car- he was asleep- I’m npot saying that’s its therefor okay- but get the facts straight before writting up the story- the point shouldn’t be to make the woman appear as a criminal when in truth that is the farthest thing from the truth.
    This bothers me so much bec this woman is going through such a tragic time now and spreading false information is only making it worse…

  14. May the child have a refuah shelaymah. It is beyond me what person can have a beautiful child in their car and forget they are there. Perhaps someone can invent some kind of alert system on the car seat or in the car, via auto-detection device or something, that would sound when the car ignition is off.

  15. For those looking for an alarm system that reminds them not to leave chilgren in the car, CSO car systems and electronics in Lakewood has such a device. It is inexpensive and easily installed.
    May the child have a refuah shelaimah.

  17. I think that it should be required for all playgroup teachers to contact the parent if the child hasn’t come to school. Additionally, parents should call the teacher if the child will be absent. This way children are always accounted for and no one is assuming anything.

  19. My heart goes out to everyone involved in this terrible situation. B’H the child is alive and may it be the will of Hashem that he should have a complete refuah sheleima.

    #6, It is a lot easier than you think. Kids fall asleep and can’t be seen from the driver seat, a change of rutine (If a person normally doesn’t have their kids with them and then they fall asleep can be forgoten) or just being overwhelmed can do it. So please hold off judgment and negativity.

    #12, I didn’t get that perspective when I read the story. I don’t see at any point where the dialog points to her in a negative manner in any which way shape or form. It’s a terrible thing and while understandable, it’s not something that we have the luxury of making a mistake with. I hope that she doesn’t have to face legal issues since this was truly a mistake. By setting up a heavy fine or jailtime would not have prevented this tradegy.

    As for all of us, we need to learn from her mistake. An alarm system or even an remider on our cell phone text or voice mail will help us remember. When dropping off multiple children, (get off the cell phone & pat attention), do a head count as they go into the door and look in the backseat for any forgotten things (or people).

  20. I wish we could print this story out and place it on every car window in every parking lot in Lakewood. I cannot count the times i park to go shopping at shop rite, and spot a frum person leaving the car, with the kids it in , ranging from newborn – preteen, and heading off to the store for shopping – “Excuse me sir, are you going to leave your kids in the car unattended”? – “Oh, its just a quick trip, and the AC is on” – ” and what if the AC fails, or the car is jacked”? “nu, nu, its ok, i do this all the time, this is a frum area, nothing will happen”

    I cannot remember how many times i have had that conversation. 3 times resulted in me calling the police after the parent continued on into the store with children under the age of 5 in the car, and 1 time resulting in an arrest, which i am proud to say i was glad to see (and please no lectures about not sending a fellow jew to jail – if a child’s life is at stake, that rule goes out the window)

    This is a horrible lesson to learn for all parents to remember:

    1. DO NOT Leave your child unattended in the car for ANY time, no matter how brief

    and on a related note

    2. ALWAYS have your child bucked in an appropriate child seat or restraint – and this one goes out to Mrs. Development who was driving her 4 month old on her laptop, and when confronted her excuse was “well, I’m just going around the block of the development to drop him off at playgroup” — For any physics fans out there, the amount of force a moving object hits a stationary object is calculated my multiplying the speed times the mass. Which means, a 15 pound child in a car moving at 15 miles an hour that stops suddenly due to a collision, will result in the child hitting the windshield with 225 pounds of force. That’s like dropping a treadmill on your child. PLEASE restrain your child under ANY situation if the car goes out of Park.

  21. Regarding the child alarms:

    There is one major flaw with this and other child seat modifications. As a certified child passenger seat technician, I always make people aware that according to the car seat manufacturer, you should NEVER purchase any add on or replacement parts for your car seat. That includes strap pads, wraps, and devices like this. The reason being is that when the car seat is tested for crash worthiness, it is tested based on how it arrives out of the box. There is no way to know how the seat, or the straps will act in a collision, if they have been modified with in any way. While I agree a device like this is a great safety feature, i don’t recommend getting this particular one, which can alter the way the seat behaves in a crash.

    If you are thinking to yourself “well its just replacing the clip”, here is a true story i encountered as an EMT. At a car accident involving a small child, the infant suffered permanent brain damage because the parents had installed plush strap covers over the car seat strap to make it more “comfortable for the baby” – during the crash, the straps, which tighten and keep the baby pressed into the seat “over reacted” due to the extra size and weight of those strap pads, causing 3 minutes of suffocation to the baby. –

    Never buy anything that connects to your car seat that did not come with the seat, or is not sold directly by the seats manufacturer specifically for your seat. That includes strap pads, mirrors, toys, build in blanket wraps, etc. Always read the manual for certain exceptions, such as using wrapped towels to cushion the side of the head.

  22. #13. Be nice! Some of us have raised many children and NEVER left them in the car. If there is someone who forgot, it is not accusatory to say they cant understand such a matter. Dont be defensive regarding # 6 post. MANY share the same view. May all children always be safe and the adults not distracted from doing a great job ensuring safety.

  23. Will any Yid give hakaras hatov to the stranger who cared enough to do the CPR and breathe life back into this child. Your article sounds as if the woman recussitated the child. If Hashem saw fit to choose Mr. Vasquez to perform this gevaldigger mitzvah, shouldn’t we be big enough to give him credit? Responses?…

  24. I have lived in Passaic for many years and know the woman involved. Please reserve judgement, as I cannot begin to tell you what a kind, loving, and devoted mother and friend she is. This is a woman who is constantly involved in chesed, working for the klal, etc. We should daven for her own healing as well as that of the child.

  25. Not one Yid has hakoras hatov to Mr. Vasquez who cared enough to perform CPR & breathe life back into this child. (The article makes it sound as if the woman performed the CPR). Hashem placed this man in this situation as a zechus. Are we too petty to say thank you? Shame on you!! Responses welcome…

  26. I gave up commenting on this site (which I did under my real name) a while back – too much aggravation – but I *would* like to thank Mr. Vasquez. I am a customer of the Clifton Home Depot and I will iy”h make a point to speak to the store manager to thank the staff when I am next in the store.

    Now I’m going to close my account so I don’t have the yetzer hora to become a regular commenter again.

    ashaindel, thank you for your mussar

  27. Yes, it is an unfortunate situation. I to drive a large van. But I never put a two year old, in a car seat, in the THIRD ROW as quoted above “It was in the third row of a Chevy Suburban “.

  28. Baruch Hashem hes okay!
    I know in Lakewood they have a sign in BMG to remind all men to make sure their children were not left in the car and are at their designated babysitter. and do to the unfortunate stories that occured in the Lakewood community, there was a writeup in a local newspaper to warn the parents not to leave the children in the car.

    I heard a saying for women; where you won’t leave your pocketbook alone, dont leave your kids!(including leaving your children in the strollers outside a store on the ave.)

  29. ashaindel – YOU mentioned your appreciation to Mr. Vasquez in post number 8. We all agree that what he did was a great thing and we all appreciate what he did and we all echo your thoughts when you wrote “Bless you Mr. Vasquez”

    not sure what point that you are trying to make with the repetitive posts #’s 23 and 25.

    you set the record straight, you gave credit where credit is due. Good job. Until you mentioned his name, those of us who did know all the details, had no clue who revived the child. we do/did not know if it was a customer or an employee or an emergency first responder. All we knew and now know is that somebody performed CPR.

    re hakoras hatov: I am sure the family will thank him appropiately in the appropriate time and place.

    Now, EXCUSE us if many of the posts were not dedicated to the hero of the story Mr. Vasquez, but were directed towards 1) wishing refuahs to the child, 2) showing concern for the individual that left the unattended child in the hot car and 3) the very relevant discussion of the child seat restraints and alarms discussion (point and counterpoint).

    Finally, I do not think that there is any SHAME on anyone posting in this thread.

  30. to number 13 and 19;
    I was not being judgmental rather just asking a question! I have been in the situation more then once in my life time transporting my own kids from and to Yeshiva, day camp and baby-sitters! I never forgot about a child in the car I just find the accident of such ambiguous!

  32. No one likes nosy people like Yossi that will call the police for things they percive as bad. You told them it wasnt right, they didnt listen, good, let them suffer the consequenses. Remember Life & Death is the hands of Hashem, not some car seat manufacturer or NHTSA Bureaucrat or holier than thou EMT

  34. This woman is a pillar of our community. Although what happened yesterday is terribly tragic, thank God, it did not end in a horrific tragedy. It was an accident. Terrible accidents do happen and that is why they are still called accidents. Have rachmanus on the woman, can youimagine the sufferring she must be going through. A favor for a friend turned into a nightmare for her.

  35. Oh my goodness! I never realized that Mr Edwin Vasquez was a frequent reader of the Yeshiva world. My deepest apologies for any hurt feelings on his part………. I’m sorry that we were to busy talking about the importance of double checking for children in the car and to mention that we should go easy on the women who was the driver. So we should all feel really horrible about ourselves now and cry ourselves to sleep.

    OR

    If you would like to give proper mussar in the truest sense, stop putting down klal yisroel (or just those who posted) and write with words that would encourage us to do what you feel is the right thing. Personally I don’t see any sort of hakaras hatov there is in mentioning thanks to a person who will never read it.

    Regardless, I have just gotten off the phone with a representative from Home Depot who mentioned that they know the customer(s) involved with saving the boys life and will pass on our graditude. She mentioned that the staff is concerned as well and are hoping for his speedy recovery.

    Please update us about the condition of the boy as well. Until then we will continue to pray for him as well as all of those who need out teffilos.

  36. #33, go back and re-read #20. it was not as you claim. it was at the shop-rite where people run in for several minutes (on a day when the lines are short). re-read the last sentence to #28 (the only correction is that it is applicable to men also.

    #37, If the hero of the story does a google search, his name will show up here and he may read the posts and even post his own comments. remember the incident in Florida where Mr. Fields wrote in after being praised here.

  37. I have found that leaving my pocketbook on the seat next to a baby or child I am watching is very helpful. May Hashem bring this child a refuah shlaimah.

  40. I’m sorry but leaving a baby alone in the car while “running to the mail box for a couple seconds” is EXTREMELY irresponsible of a parent or guardian! I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if I see a child in a car unattended, I WILL call the police, and get the child out of that dangerous situation as soon as possible. A persons life come before their feelings in my book. There is no time to “go looking for the parents” time IS a matter of life and death. Please people these are our precious children who depend on us to protect them, don’t take chances even if the odds are in your favor, let the baby be cranky, be late for that appointment, pick up or drop off the item at a later time, etc. I pray that I don’t see or hear about this happening again, it tears me up inside to hear such horrible things. Thank God this child is alive, and hopefully doing well. May the toddler and his family recover from this incident quickly. Be safe everyone, and have an amazing (hopefully not too humid) Shabbos!

  42. to #33 RE:PARAGRAPH 3…”chamire skante m’issurah”.. also leave it to the noshiom tzidkonious, 2 seconds can easily be turned into 20 min to 1/2 hr of farshmussing

  44. to #34..tell me when you see someone elses child drowning youll also “life and death is in the hands of hashem” and just go further.? should we ignore seat belts, baby seats in cars…etc, etc, etc..after all life is…”l’olom al yamod adom tachas kir nuti”

  47. Folks, too many comments are not based on the facts.

    1. Articles are a terrible source for information. I live near the driver- She did not know the child was in the car, so DO heed the advise to NEVER leave a child in the car, but realize it wasn’t exactly what happened.
    2. FYI Over the past 10 years, there are on average, 36 child deaths in car from heat in the US. over 50% are ‘forgotten’, 25% child got in by themselves, and a small % left on purpose (e.g. just there for a short errand). As horrifying as this is, such stats indicate a very, very rare incidence of death in this way
    3. The child is fine, B’H
    4. Notwithstanding the idiots on blogs who point at how many children she has and show their disdain for religious Jews, there has been real kiddush H’. To name two- a non-Jewish person who was also at home depot rang my bell yesterday to inquire aobut how everyone was. (I live nearby the driver) He was relieved to learn the child is fine, and he expressed sincere concern for the driver, 2. My Doctor (not Jewish) I saw last night, commented that it was the driver’s intense praying that saved the child.
    5. The take away I recomend is- H’ took her das and quided her at the right momment to discover and save the child, and we need to use the lesson properly. Obviously, we will all be more careful. In addition, be inspired to do more for your community, as this woman is a ROLE MODEL in care for children and her kehila.
    6. BTW, Passaic is reeling from the death of a 49 yr old woman who succomed to Pancreatic cancer, at the same time of this near-tragedy. She was also a deeply involved person- more inspiration to step up our acts of compassion, per my #5
    7. One of the videos showed Mtr Vasques’s truck – he is a contractor. I would love to use him to show hakores hatov. I’m trying to dig it up to see the tel number on the truck.

  48. #50. I am not questioning anything you wrote, however, could you elaborate on point #1 “…She did not know the child was in the car…”

    did she not know that she took the child with her ie. the child was put in the car by someone else?

    did she think that she dropped the kid off somewhere and where was that somewhere?

    we all agree that HaShem gave her the thought to look in the car and B’H the child was saved. (B’H Mr. Vasquez was there – ready willing and able to help), but if she did know the child was in the car why did she go looking for the child? Was she finished with her shopping and while putting her packages away she discoved the child?

    I do not need answers to these questions, it is just that your first point raises more questions than it answers.

  49. thank you to #50!
    we really need to dan l’chaf zechus. It could happen to anyone anytime. Anyone can forget something, event he most important things.
    refuah shelima

  50. To #45-“Leave it to the noshim tzidkanios”!!! how dare you blame us? You men have no problem giving us, women, countless responsibilites and when something goes wrong, you not only blame us, but you do so sarcastically. We happily spend our days supporting our husbands, changing diapers, running after children, keeping our homes clean, and having a warm supper ready for you when you come home; and, yes, sometimes we like to take a moment or twenty to shmooze with a friend our age and height. We, noshim, ARE tzidkanios and if men like you would take a minute or two to appreciate what we do for you, you might begin to see things more clearly.

  51. I came across this blog when I was searching online for information on the little boy found in the car at Home Depot. I am not Jewish but live in Clifton, close to Passaic and Passaic Park. My daughter is a mother’s helper for a lovely Orthodox family and I live in a neighborhood that has many kind Orthodox families. I only have two children (teenagers now) but I can completely understand how it would be possible to forget a child, especially in a large car. I remember once mentally planning my day shortly after my second daughter was born (my oldest child was only 17 months old). I planned my day around a visit to the pediatrician and then suddenly remembered I had a newborn at home who would need to be dressed and fed as well! I can so easily imagine how simple it might be to forget a toddler, especially if they are asleep. The poor woman must have been close to cardiac arrest herself when she found this child. All of the orthodox mothers I know seem to be very loving, caring people. Like all of us women, this mother who left the child in the car must have been thinking about a million things she had to accomplish that day. I’m sure the furthest thing from her mind was leaving a child unattended in a hot car. Mothers have the hardest, most demanding job in the world. And for the person who stated that it wasn’t necessary to thank Mr. Vasquez (who I believed administered mouth-to-mouth) because he’s not Jewish and would never read this blog, you might be a bit short-sighted. I was born and raised Protestant, yet I saw the blog. Let us just be thankful that God put this child, the mother, and the people at Home Depot together that day for a very good reason. Jewish, Protestant, Moslem – who cares? We are all people who are here to care for and help one another. May God bless this child, his family and Meira Leibovits (sp?)and her family and let them find peace again.

  53. to # 53 you sound like you are treated and you act like an obedient puppy…well its not that way with our eishes chayil..if supper is not ready we prepare, with pleasure, ourselves, we changed (youngest now kihora 19 so were talking way back, the childrens diapers plenty and just like this, even when eises chayil could do it. you say “..spend our days supporting our husbands” ,this we dont get what you mean? can you elaborate?, do you mean actually work and support financially, well me worked from the day got married and eisahes chayil worked first 2-3 years not because to support..and then didnt work till youngest was 4-5 years. now works so not to be bored so your ranting should be directed at your huaband not ME…also if by “you” you mean me , i dont even know you ..as far as we remember we have and had only 1 spouse “ad mayah vesrim shono…” so me is completly confused..

  54. to #53..when we address our heilge yiddeshe mames thats the way mir tuen..it’s a loshon shel chiba so you translated it into sarcasam…so yor blood pressure went overboard for nothing

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