NJ Woman Charged After Kids Left Home Alone During Fire

OLD BRIDGE, NJ - An Old Bridge woman was charged with multiple counts of child endangerment charges after a fire broke out inside the apartment early Sunday authorities said.

Estela Onofre-Maceda, 31, of Old Bridge, was arrested Sunday night and charged with seven counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Old Bridge Police Department Acting Chief Donald Fritz, Jr. said in a joint statement.

Onofre-Maceda is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing.

The charges stem from a Sunday morning fire reported around 6:40 a.m. at an apartment on Cottonwood Lane in Old Bridge, officials said. At the scene, authorities found four minors who were left in the apartment unattended. The ages of the minors were not immediately made available.

Two of the minors were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for their injuries. The conditions of the juveniles were also unavailable as of Tuesday.

An initial investigation revealed that Onofre-Maceda left four juveniles unattended early Sunday when the fire started, police said. She also left three minors unattended on Friday into early Saturday morning, officials added.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Mottola of the Old Bridge Police Department at 732-721-5600 ext. 3232 or Detective Castro of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3652.