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Director Of Fair Lawn Early Learning Center Helps Police Find Parents Of Wandering Toddler

A Fair Lawn toddler found wandering alone wasn't able to help police find his parents -- but the director of a local early learning center was, authorities said.

Jessica DeMott

Jessica DeMott

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Patricia Donatello

Confusion between the parents and the boy’s grandmother over who was watching him left him wandering alone around dinnertime Monday, Sgt. Brian Metzler said Tuesday.

Police were called after he was found on Westmoreland Avenue around 5:30 p.m., Metzler said.

Because the boy was non-verbal -- and no one had reported him missing -- police had a mystery on their hands.

So they went to Jessica DeMott, director of the Lightbridge Academy on Maple Avenue and showed her his photo.

DeMott recalled the boy’s parents trying to enroll him at her center a year or so.

She asked for a little time, went through her records and found the information they needed – including the family’s address, along with the mother’s phone number and email.

Fair Lawn police notified the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Metzler said. No charges were filed, he said.

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