Dad Arrested After Docs Find THC In System Of Hospitalized Teaneck Child, 4

A high school teacher from Teaneck was arrested after his 4-year-old daughter was hospitalized with THC in her system, authorities said.

Avi Mandel
Photo Credit: *BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR*

Jerry DeMarco

09/04/2020 9:00 p.m.

Authorities charged Avi Mandel, 30, with child endangerment and illegal pot possession after doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center found the child “lethargic and unable to stand,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday.

“Medical tests indicated that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, was present in the child’s body,” he said.

The state Division of Child Protection and Permanency reported the incident to members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Unit, who investigated along with Teaeck police, Musella said.

The child “was in the custody of [Mandel] at the time the substance was consumed,” the prosecutor said.

Mandel was released pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.

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