EAST BRUNSWICK — Police arrested a Highland Park man last week on charges of child endangerment after he allegedly left his 3-year-old daughter locked in a car while he shopped in a store.
Police were called to the Sam’s Club parking lot at 2:20 p.m. Oct. 22 by a woman who said she observed a small child seat-belted into a child car seat inside a minivan for several minutes. She said the vehicle was not running and the windows were up. She told police that no adults had come to the vehicle to check on the child, according to police.
East Brunswick Patrolmen Thomas Kienle and Kevin Bishop responded and attempted to locate the parent or guardian of the child and had several announcements made at Sam’s Club to locate the owner of the vehicle, police said. After approximately 30 minutes, Elan Vorzman, 43, the father of the girl, came out of the store and met with the officers.
Police said further investigation determined that Vorzman had left the child in the car because she was sleeping and he had not intended to be in the store for an extended period of time.
Trans-Med Rescue Squad responded to the scene to check the condition of the child and transported her to police headquarters, where she was turned over to her mother.
Vorzman, charged with child endangerment and abandonment, was processed and released. Police notified the state Division of Youth and Family Services of the incident.