A 35-year-old New Jersey father, Moshe Ehrlich, has been arrested and charged with child endangerment after he allegedly forgot his 4-month-old son in the backseat of his minivan for over two hours on March 18. The infant was pronounced dead at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood.
According to the arrest affidavit, Ehrlich was in a rush to drop off four of his six children and forgot to grab his infant son’s milk. He left the baby in the car while he attended yeshiva on Princeton Avenue. The van was parked in direct sunlight, with internal temperatures reaching 96 degrees despite outside temperatures only reaching a high of 63 degrees.
The babysitter’s concern sparked a frantic search when she texted the child’s mother about the baby’s whereabouts. However, Ehrlich’s wife hadn’t seen the message for over an hour. When she finally did, both she and the babysitter began texting and calling Ehrlich, who didn’t respond. The babysitter’s teenage son eventually found Ehrlich’s van outside the yeshiva.
First responders arrived to find the child unresponsive. Ehrlich was arrested on March 20 after surrendering to police and was released hours later by a judge. The family has not commented on the tragedy.
The incident has shocked the community, raising concerns about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. Investigations are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.
