EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ – Police in Egg Harbor have arrested a mom and a teenager after leaving three young children locked in a car while they shopped inside Walmart for nearly 45 minutes.
According to police, on Wednesday, with temperatures nearing 90 and high humidity, at around 2:48 PM, officers responded to the Walmart shopping center located in Oak Tree Plaza. Police were alerted of a report that 3 young children were locked inside a vehicle crying. x
“Upon arrival, officers found that there were 3 children, ages 3, 1, and 5 months, locked inside a vehicle that was not running, and all windows were closed. A lock-out kit was utilized by police to unlock the doors, and the children were rescued from the vehicle and immediately turned over to Egg Harbor Township EMS for treatment,” police said. “Further investigation and security camera footage revealed that the women, Cyndie Jourdain and a 17-year-old female, both of Galloway Township, had been inside the store for approximately 45 minutes at the time the children were located and removed from the vehicle.”
The children were all transported to Atlantic City Medical Center via ambulance for treatment but were expected to be okay. The Division of Child Protection and Permanency was contacted and responded to the hospital.
Both women were arrested on the scene and were charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child. After processing, both were released pending court.