Baby in NJ dies after being left in 100-degree parked car

☑️ An infant was found inside a vehicle parked outside a Jewish school

☑️ The heat index at the time was 107 degrees

☑️ The 8 week old's father is being held at the Ocean County Jail

LAKEWOOD — An infant died Monday afternoon after being left inside a vehicle on one of the hottest days of the year, according to the Ocean County Proseuctor's Office.

Prosecutor Bradley Billihimer said Lakewood police were notified about a child in cardiac arrest outside the Kollel Cheshek Shlomo on New Egypt Road around 1:45 p.m.

First responders were unsuccessful in their attempts to revive the 8-week-old girl and pronounced her dead at the scene.

The infant was alone in the vehicle for "an extended period of time," which killed her, Billhimer said.

The Lakewood Scoop, which was first to report the incident, said the girl had been left in the vehicle for over two hours.

The infant's father, Avraham Chaitovsky, 28, of Jackson was taken into custody. He  being held at the Ocean County Jail on a charge of second-degree child endangerment. Billhimer said additional charges may be forthcoming.

Billhimer did not disclose Chaitovsky's location when the child was found.

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Heat index of 107 degrees

An excessive heat warning was in effect for most of New Jersey on Monday. Temperatures at the nearest weather station in Howell were 98 degrees at 2 p.m. with a heat index of 107 under sunny skies, according to New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow.

Zarrow said that on a day like Monday, with the heat index near 100, being left inside a car longer than 10 minutes can be fatal. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise significantly even with cooler temperatures outside with the majority of the temperature rise occurring within the first 15 to 30 minutes.

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Another tragedy in Lakewood

It is the second tragedy involving a young child in Lakewood in the past month.

Naomi Elkins, 27, was charged with two counts of murder after police found two 1- and 3-year-old girls drowned in separate tubs on June 25 in the basement apartment she and her husband rented.

An Ocean County Superior Court judge granted a request to delay her detention hearing pending a psychiatrist's evaluation scheduled for July 18, according to coverage by the Asbury Park Press. Elkins is being held at the Ocean County Jail.

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