A 2-year-old boy died after being left in a hot car in New York on Monday, just hours after an 8-week-old baby girl died in New Jersey, making them the 11th and 12th hot car fatalities in the United States this year, according to officials.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated that 28-year-old father Avraham Chaitovsky left his young daughter in a car in Lakewood Township during a scorching summer heat wave for “an extended period of time” on Monday. At 1:45 p.m., officers responded to a report of a child experiencing cardiac arrest close to New Egypt Road. Police and prosecutors said that the 8-week-old infant was pronounced dead on the spot despite attempts to save her life.
News 12 New Jersey said that Chaitovsky’s daughter was stuck in the sweltering car while he was inside the Kollel Cheshek Shlomo synagogue. The man has been taken into custody and accused of endangering the welfare of a child.
Meanwhile, just before 7 p.m. on the same day, Monticello, New York police responded to a 911 call reporting a youngster in cardiac arrest inside a vehicle outside Sleepy Hollow Apartment Complex, according to News 12 Westchester. The Sullivan County coroner declared the 2-year-old toddler dead at the scene.
The nationwide group Kids and Car Safety reports that Monday’s tragedies mark the 11th and 12th verified fatalities of children left in hot cars in the country this year. According to the group, a total of 29 children died in 2023 from hot car-related fatalities, and another 36 perished in 2022. In the US, there are 38 kid fatalities from overheated cars on average each year.
