A New Jersey woman has been charged in the death of her infant daughter who was left inside a vehicle for over four hours during a heat wave last month, officials said Thursday.
Livia Patelli, 33, of Roseland, is accused of leaving the 6-month-old baby unattended in a car at a parking lot on South Ridgedale Ave. in East Hanover on July 17 amid scorching heat — at a time when an excessive heat warning had been issued for the area.
“Excessive heat” conditions are often characterized when heat index levels, or a combination of heat and humidity, reach 105 degrees.
According to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, paramedics responded to reports of a pediatric patient inside a parked vehicle at approximately 1:30 p.m.
First responders attempted to render life-saving aid to the infant at the scene before transferring her to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Further investigation revealed the baby was inside the hot vehicle for four-and-a-half hours, authorities said.
Patelli is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Carroll said in a news release. She was arrested and booked into Morris County Correctional Facility but released Thursday following her first court appearance.
The investigation is still ongoing, authorities said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200, or the East Hanover Police Department at 973-887-0432.
According to data compiled by the National Safety Council, approximately 37 U.S. children under 15 die from heatstroke every year after being left unattended in a vehicle.