A stock image of a car. Photo: getty
A heartbreaking tragedy has struck a New Jersey family after a father was charged in connection with his infant son’s death.
Authorities say 35-year-old Moshe Ehrlich of Lakewood was arrested on March 20 after his 4-month-old son died from being left in a hot car for an extended period.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, officers rushed to a residential area in Lakewood on March 18 at around 1:45 p.m. after receiving reports of a distressed infant inside a vehicle. First responders found the baby unresponsive, with a volunteer medical team desperately trying to save him.
The infant was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, but tragically, doctors pronounced him dead. Investigators later confirmed that the baby had been left inside the vehicle for hours.
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Ehrlich later turned himself in to police and was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child. His next court date is set for April 28. It remains unclear if he has legal representation at this time.
The Hidden Danger of Hot Cars
While the outside temperature in Lakewood that day only reached 62 degrees, experts warn that car interiors can heat up rapidly, sometimes rising by 20 degrees in just minutes. Even on cooler days, the inside of a car can become dangerously hot for children.
According to NoHeatStroke.org, an average of 37 children die in hot cars every year in the U.S. In most cases, it’s a tragic accident—parents get distracted, their routine changes, and they forget their child is still in the back seat.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stresses that no child should ever be left alone in a car, no matter the weather. To help parents avoid these tragedies, experts suggest placing a stuffed animal in the child’s car seat when it’s empty and moving it to the front seat when the baby is inside. Other tricks include keeping personal items like purses, wallets, or even one shoe in the back seat to force a final check before exiting the vehicle.
This devastating case serves as a painful reminder of how quickly a simple mistake can turn into an unimaginable loss.
