What to Know
- Three small children were found alone in a New Jersey apartment after ICE knocked on the door to serve a warrant, officials say
- Hackettstown PD says they were helping ICE serve a warrant to to Luis Froilan Ortega-Calle, when a little girl opened the door June 27
- Cops allegedly found 3 kids under the age of 6 who were left unsupervised as their parents worked overnight
Three small children were found home alone in a New Jersey apartment after ICE knocked on the door to serve a warrant, law enforcement officials say.
According to the Hackettstown Police Department, on June 27, shortly after 8 a.m., officers were helping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents serve a warrant to Luis Froilan Ortega-Calle who lived on Main Street. When officers knocked on the door, a 6-year-old girl answered, police say.
Officers allegedly observed that the apartment was disheveled and unclean, ultimately determining that the girl was left alone with her 9-month-old and 3-year-old sisters.
According to police, while standing outside, officers saw Ortega-Calle, 30, and Josselyn Eneida DeLeon-Garcia, 26, turn the alley next to Marley’s Gotham Grill onto Main Street. When they saw the officers and agents, they allegedly turned around and ran, until officers caught up with them.
Ortega-Calle was taken into custody by ICE agents.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Ortega-Calle and DeLeon-Garcia left their children unsupervised while they went to work overnight from about 11:30 p.m. June 26 to about 8:30 a.m. June 27.
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The Division of Child Protection and Permanency took custody of the children from the scene.
The couple was charged with three counts of second-degree child neglect.
It is not immediately clear if they retained attorneys to comment on the charges.
