Lakewood father charged after leaving toddler alone in hot car outside police station on hot summer day

Lakewood father charged after leaving toddler alone in hot car outside police station on hot summer day

A 34-year-old Lakewood man was arrested Tuesday after police say he left his 2-year-old son locked in a parked car outside the Lakewood Township Police Department for nearly half an hour.

At around 3:15 p.m., a Lakewood officer unloading his patrol vehicle noticed the child alone inside a locked, non-running vehicle in the department’s parking lot. The officer quickly retrieved a lock-out tool and freed the child, who was then evaluated at the scene by Lakewood First Aid before being transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus. The child was treated and released.

Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit and Lakewood Police determined that Simcha Feldman had left the child alone in the vehicle for approximately 24 minutes.

Feldman was taken into custody when he returned to the vehicle and is currently being held at the Ocean County Jail. He has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

Key Points

  • Lakewood officer found a 2-year-old alone in a locked, non-running vehicle outside police HQ
  • The child was rescued, treated, and released from the hospital
  • Simcha Feldman, 34, was arrested and charged with child endangerment
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