Father Charged After Baby Left In Hot Vehicle Dies In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — The father of a baby who died after being left in a hot vehicle on Monday has been charged in connection with her death, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday.

Avraham S. Chaitovsky, 28, of Jackson Township, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the incident, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Additional charges are possible, he said, as the investigation is ongoing.

Lakewood police were called to a site on New Egypt Road about 1:45 p.m. on Monday for a report of a pediatric patient in cardiac arrest and found Hatzolah Medical Services trying to revive the an 8-week-old baby girl, authorities said. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Investigators determined the baby was Chaitovsky’s daughter and that he had left her alone for extended period of time. The prosecutor's office did not say how long the baby was alone, but said the investigation "determined that the act of leaving the infant in the car unattended for such a long period of time was the cause and manner of the infant’s death."

The Lakewood Scoop reported the baby had been left alone in the vehicle for more than two hours.

Chaitovsky was taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and additional charges may be forthcoming.

The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Lakewood Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated.