A Jersey City mother is facing charges after police found her toddler son locked inside a car with the windows up on a steamy afternoon in the parking lot of a shopping center, authorities say.
Secaucus police say officers were responding to an unrelated call at the TJ Maxx store on Mill Creek Drive when they noticed the 22-month-old boy alone inside a car with the windows up and doors locked. It was 81 degrees out at the time, police said.
The child appeared to be in distress and didn't respond when the officer tapped on the window, according to police. The officer was about to force entry into the car when the mother emerged from the store and claimed she was inside using the bathroom.
The woman is being charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child, and the toddler was taken into protective custody, police said.
