VIDEO: Police this afternoon lectured and warned a mother of the dangers of leaving children unattended in a running vehicle, after a passing motorists noticed her children alone in her car.
The incident occurred in a local shopping plaza at about 1:15 PM, when a mother left her two children in her unlocked and running vehicle while she ran into the bank.
A woman who parked her vehicle next to one mentioned, noticed the children in the vehicle and phoned police.
Officers standing near her vehicle when she exited the bank gave the woman a stern warning and lecture of the dangers of leaving children unattended, even for a minute.
“Do you know how many stolen cars we get?”, Officer Gary Przewoznik told the woman. “G-d forbid if some bad guy would have come along and saw the car running and said, hey, this car is running, and now it’s open, the next thing you know he jumps in and doesn’t even look in the back seat”, Przewoznik said.
Officer Mark Zweibek added, “It’s a little bit of a pain getting them in and out of the car, with the stroller and everything, but take the little extra time.”
The children were okay, and the woman was released with the warning. TLS-CCP/TLS-89.
This is so true you never know what can happen kids cant be left unattened it only take a couple of minutes for a car jacking. or someone doing somehing with your kids yaa never know..Its beeter just too take them with you..i would rather be safe then sorry!!
better ..
just want to add, that worrying abt a car theft (with the kids inside) is not the only worry, even just running back into the house with the car in your private driveway (with kids buckled into carseats) is just as scary, where chances are your car isnt being car jacked in that minute…i recently had my own frightening experience, my 2 year old managed to get part of the strap around her neck in some crazy way and it really frightens me every time i think abt it what chas v’shalom might have been the outcome if i was gone for just an additional minute….im so grateful that bh nothing happened, i wasnt gone that long, but it was definitely a huge wake up call for me and i realize all it takes is seconds for these things to happen.
Shame on her!!
blahblahblah…..waste of breath. if people haven’t learned by now, they never will. they’ll continue to do what’s convenient for them & what they want.
Surprized dyfus wasnt called
It would have been more thoughtful of the woman parked next to the car to simply wait for the mother to return and advise her that leaving her children like that was patently irresponsible.
I believe that many mothers (and fathers) are not aware of the dangers of leaving their children unattended (whether in a car or in the front yard or walking the streets, etc.).
I would like to propose an idea. A flyer to educate parents.
Here is possible copy for this flyer:
IT ONLY TAKES A SECOND ….TO LOSE A LIFETIME.
Please do not leave your young child unattended….even for just a second.
Underneath this would be a specific list (with some graphics) of dangerous actions ( leaving a child in an unattended car,leaving a child unattended in a bathtub, etc.).
Is there a graphic designer reading this who would be willing to take this copy (or any wording of their choice) and design a flyer? Is there any printer (or individual) who would like to sponsor the printing of this flyer? Are there any volunteers who would like to hang up these flyers in restaurants, shuls, schools, camps, mikvas, social halls, etc.? Are there any editors that would be willing to print this flyer in their publications?
This is very doable…
If anyone would like to help with this project I will try to coordinate it. I can be reached through this website.
was never a car jacking in history of lakewood. i am realy not concerned. weather permiting i leave kid in running car daily.
welcome to the generation of instant -gradification & self centeredness. where everything is me, me & only me, if its not good for me then i can’t help or watch even my own wife or children.
i tell you its really sad that the situation has to get so bad. & the only way for people to learn from others mistakes & be more alert in life etc…. is for us to FACE REALITY & do something about it. before it happens again C’V
i.e. how many thousands of accidents have occurred because of texting & driving? or not wearing a reflector at night? why have we not learnt from these tragedies to stop texting? the situation has gotten so bad to the point that if C”V someone heard that his neighbor/friend got into a MVA caused by texting we still wont learn from it. so what are we all doing? a person is C”V putting a klala on himself by telling hashem ha ha you can’t get me to stop texting unless you make something happen to me C”V
how sad but true it is, why can’t we face reality & do something about it when any issue arises, instead of learning from it after its too late & something happpened already C”V?
wow #8 it seems like ur proud of it! im sry to have to say this but one day you’ll understand…it”s your choice- ur choosing to learn it the hard way….i prefer to learn it the easier way!
Nothing learned, cops should have ticketed her. Verbal warning just empty words to deaf ears
People. That’s the bank parking lot. She probably ran up to ATM for a sec.WOULD Y’ALL SHLEP EVERYONE OUT IF CAR AT ATM?
@#8, you are a fool. there have been attempted car jackings and what the police mentioned here is not a car jacking it is plain car theft! the mother was irresponcible and should have gotten a ticket, I agree #11, deaf ears, she will do it again I would bet. If you are not going to be a parent 110% of the time what is the purpose of having children. Shed probably leave her dog in the car too.
#8 you can be charged with child abuse and have your kids taken away. This woman was lucky.
I was outside a local shopping store and noticed a car running with 2 kids in car seats in them BY THEMSELVES. I went into the store and announced, “Who ever left the kids in the car, the cops are on the way”. A man dropped his stuff and on his way out the door asked me how I knew. I told him, “cuz I called them!”.
#8 seriously, you are willing to risk something happening to ur kids…even if the odds are not so high, it is a RISK. nothing to be proud of and publicize, even if ur under an anon. name…. what does that say for you as a parent? How would u live with urself if g-d forbid one day, somethhing would happen to them as a result of ur lax attitude….
You guys are overreacting. C’mon.
this past sunday i saw a car full of kids all alone. i went over to car and asked the kids were there parents were and one of the kids said in that store i waited until the parent came out and told her how could you leave your kids alone in the car if a police would have seen this you would have gotten into trouble. her response was that my oldest is 11 yrs. old can’t i leave them alone in the car with her.
sad but parents who leave kids in car will never learn until something bad happens. you can put up signs about the dangers it wont help. people just don’t care.
maybe next time you think about leaving your kids alone in the car think about all the couples who would do anything to have there own kids and would love them and be responsible for them and i am sure never leave them alone in the car.
Its a BIG issue which needs a lot of addressing in the community, we do see some signs in public places showing an infant left in a car seat! However there r still those parents who for some reason find that their shopping or whatever it may b still comes b4 the safety of their children, unfortunately some of these people can & or will only learn the hard way!
she most likely has always done this. This time she got caught.
she is wrong and the police is right…..and I used to do it. i would never do it again, because….. my kids are older 😉
I guess it comes down to risk and odds. The parents who leave their kids in the car alone, or dont strap them in know the odds of anything bad happening are probably 1 in 1,000,000 – some people are okay with those ods, some are not. I have been driving with my kids for 6 years and b’h, nothing has ever happened, so all that time, I could have left them unstrapped with no problems. But I LOVE MY KIDS so much that I do not gamble with their lives, whether the odds are 1 in 10 or 1 in 10,000,000.
So, I guess it really comes down to how much you love your kids. Love your kids a little? leave them alone in the car and drive unbuckled. Love them infinitely and unconditionally? never leave them alone and never drive unbuckled.
to #6
If a bystander would speak with her, it wouldn’t help one bit. If 2 police officers spoke to her, there is a chance that the words would enter her head. I hope she learnt her lesson this time.
Rarely do I advocate giving tickets but this one time I think they should of.She left her kids in the car to run into a bank?Was it so urgent?And if it was she should of taken her kids with her.
#15
there was no child abuse at all here.
Please don’t confuse the terminology. This is a case of neglecting ones parental duties.
#13
It depends on how the ATM is situated.
#12
good point.
I have not heard from any volunteers in regard to my flyer idea. Think about it over Sukkos. Perhaps someone reading this will want to help me bring this idea to fruition. Perhaps if a mother or father constantly sees this flyer they will think twice about doing something that they always felt was safe to do. “Kol Yisrael Areivim zeh l’zeh”
Wats the age that would b fair to say that its safe 2 leave my kids in the car -with the motor off and windows down – I have a 12 year old boy or a 16 yrs old girl – I always leave the in the car 2 “babysit” the siblings (the youngest is 3) so is that a problem – would love 2 hear ur thoughts
Finally someone called police. She should be childless for the danger she put them in. So much for how she thinks of her kids well being not to mention what she is teaching them to do when they have kids.
If you take your kids out they should never be left alone NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON! JUST LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE A DESIGINATED DRIVER WHEN YOU DRINK, YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE IF YOU CHOOSE TO BRING YOUR CHILDREN WITH YOU WHILE DOING ANY TASKS OR WHATEVER :LEAVE NO KID BEHIND IN CAR! EVER