​North Jersey 6-Year-Old Dead, Mother Faces Child Endangerment Charges

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic woman is facing child endangerment charges after her six-year-old son was found dead, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Nakija Martin, 48, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after police found her autistic son dead in their Passaic residence last month.

On July 15, around 8:30 a.m., Passaic police responded to a call of an unresponsive child at a residence in the area of Aspen Place and State Street.

Officers found Martin with her dead son in the residence. Investigators believe that Martin had unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide and had intended to kill the six-year-old, according to officials.

The cause and manner of the boy’s death are pending the results of the autopsy, officials said.

Martin was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child on July 29. She agreed to pretrial detention during a court appearance on Tuesday.

Martin faces up to ten years for the child endangerment charge.

The investigation remains ongoing. The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact its tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO, email tips@passaiccountynj.org, or submit an anonymous tip through https://pcponj.opsnetwork.org/tips.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.