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A four-month-old baby tragically died after being left in a parked car for over two hours by his father, Moshe Ehrlich, 35. The infant succumbed to extreme heat exposure in what authorities are calling a devastating case of forgetfulness and routine disruption.
The tragedy unfolded on March 18 in Lakewood, a township known for its vibrant Orthodox Jewish community. According to the official criminal complaint, Ehrlich, a father of six, was responsible for dropping off his children that morning. He successfully took three of his kids to school and intended to drop his youngest off at a babysitter’s home. However, somewhere in the shuffle, the baby was forgotten in the backseat.
Before heading to the yeshiva, a religious educational institution, Ehrlich realized he had forgotten the baby’s milk and returned home to retrieve it, along with a few other items. But instead of heading to the babysitter’s home afterward, he drove directly to the yeshiva and attended class, unaware that his infant son was still strapped in the backseat of the van.
Surveillance and witness accounts confirm that Ehrlich parked his vehicle outside the yeshiva at approximately 11:00 a.m. and entered the premises. It wasn’t until 1:30 p.m. that school staff notified him of an urgent phone call on the dedicated family emergency line. His wife, Faiga Ehrlich, had received a concerned message from the babysitter, Esther Kitay, at 12:28 p.m. after the infant never arrived. Faiga hadn’t seen the message until 1:30 p.m., prompting her to call both her husband and the emergency line at the yeshiva when she couldn’t reach him.
Kitay’s son quickly located the family’s van parked outside the school. By the time Ehrlich rushed out and opened the vehicle, the damage had already been done. The baby was unresponsive. Emergency services were called immediately, and the infant was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where he was pronounced dead.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Ehrlich was arrested on March 20 after turning himself in to Lakewood Township Police. He faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child. Though he was later released by a judge, the legal proceedings are expected to follow in the coming weeks.
Temperatures in Lakewood that day peaked at around 17°C (62.6°F), but inside the enclosed vehicle, the temperature had soared to a fatal 35.5°C (95.9°F)—a stark reminder of how quickly heat can build in a stationary car, even on a mild day.
“This is a gut-wrenching, preventable tragedy,” said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. “Our hearts go out to the family, but we must also raise awareness about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.”
Child safety advocates have reiterated that hot car deaths remain an ongoing crisis in the United States. According to NoHeatStroke.org, an average of 37 children under 14 die annually from vehicular heatstroke. A majority of these cases are linked to a momentary lapse, typically when a caregiver’s routine changes and a child is unintentionally forgotten in the backseat.
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