Parents face charges after shocking police discovery in Lyndhurst

🚨 Lyndhurst couple charged after kids, dogs found in filthy, unsafe home
🚨 Police called for wellness check; found drugs, feces, and starving pets
🚨 Parents face child endangerment, neglect, and possible animal cruelty charges

LYNDHURST — A husband and wife were facing neglect and child endangerment charges after their children were found living in squalor.

On Sunday after 11 p.m., Lyndhurst police responded to a wellness check at a first-floor apartment.

Late-night police visit reveals shocking conditions

Sarafina “Sara” Gorfinkle had been taken to rehab at New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus before the check of the home she shares with James Michael Wapinsky.

It was found to be “totally uninhabitable.”

The filth was so extreme that responding officers found the situation “emotionally disturbing,” Lyndhurst Capt. Paul Haggerty said.

Children and pets found in squalor

Children appeared to be unkept, police said, while two dogs, a husky and a pitbull, both appeared to be starving.

Drug paraphernalia was visible and the entire apartment had foul smells and dog feces.

Read More: Rescue of 45 pets from Franklin Township home called 'overdue'

Multiple criminal charges for both parents

Wapinsky was charged with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, fourth-degree neglect of a child, and possession of paraphernalia, a disorderly persons offense.

The 30-year-old Wapinsky was being held at Bergen County Jail.

Gorfinkle, who is 37, was facing the same charges, as she remained at the rehab center on Wednesday.

The Lyndhurst animal cruelty officer was expected to follow up with additional charges due to the dogs’ conditions.

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