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Yuqing Jiang, 46, was charged with abandonment, child abuse and endangerment after a borough police sergeant found the toddler still asleep in a Bergen Boulevard towing lot.
Jiang had parked at the Towne Center on Schlosser Street while she went into the Chase Bank on Main Street early Monday evening, responders told Daily Voice on Wednesday.
The car was towed at 5:30 p.m., records show.
At 5:56 p.m., Fort Lee Communications Dispatcher Piccirillo got a 911 call from the mother saying her car was missing, authorities said.
Jiang told responding officers that she'd left her daughter sleeping in the car, Capt. Matthew Hintze said.
Piccirillo discovered that the vehicle was towed from the parking lot for a violation, he said.
Sgt. Anthony Bozzetti went to ABC Towing on Bergen Boulevard, a mile from the bank, and found the toddler "still asleep, unharmed, and unrestrained under blankets" -- not in a car seat, Hintze said.
"A vehicle that is being towed and is locked would not be searched by the tow operator," the captain added.
Jiang was reunited with her daughter while police notified the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, Hintze said, adding that they also contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Jiang was released Tuesday pending an April 13 court appearance.
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