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Avraham Chaitovsky, 28, was no longer held at the Ocean County Jail after a detention hearing on Tuesday, July 16. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the baby's death on Monday, July 15.
Lakewood police responded to a report of a child in cardiac arrest on New Egypt Road at around 1:45 p.m. Hatzolah Medical Services paramedics tried to save the two-month-old but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said Chaitovsky's daughter was in his vehicle alone "for an extended period of time."
"The investigation further determined that the act of leaving the infant in the car unattended for such a long period of time was the cause and manner of the infant’s death," Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for many parts of New Jersey, including Ocean County, between Sunday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 17. AccuWeather said Monday's high temperature reached 97 degrees in Lakewood.
Advocacy group Kids and Car Safety said the girl was the 11th child in the U.S. to die in a hot vehicle in 2024. She was the first death in the Garden State.
Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and Chaitovsky could receive more charges.
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