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A New York couple is facing child endangerment charges after they allegedly left their 6-year-old daughter in a car during below-freezing weather while they gambled at a Pennsylvania casino.
Why It Matters
Brooklyn residents Chunyan Wang and To Yeung, both 44, were charged with one count each of endangering the welfare of children.
An average of 38 children die after being left in cars each year, according to data from Kids and Car Safety. In most cases, the children were unknowingly left in the car.
What To Know
Bensalem police responded to Parx Casino at around 11 a.m. on Monday for a report of a child left in a vehicle.
As the officer arrived, casino security was escorting Wang and Yeung to the car.
Police found a child alone inside a 2021 Honda CRV with New York registration, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Bucks County Courier Times. Wang and Yeung told officials that the child inside of the car was their daughter, the affidavit said.
Police said the car was not running. Temperatures reached a high of 29 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, according to The Weather Channel.
Pennsylvania State Police were also at the scene. They said the couple had been playing table games inside the casino for about 45 minutes.
Parx Casino is the largest casino gambling complex in the state. It is located about 20 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
The 6-year-old girl was not seriously harmed and is now in the care of relatives, Philadelphia news station WPVI reported.
Wang and Yeung were arraigned before District Judge Joseph Falcone on Monday. They were released after posting $3,000 bail each.
In July, a woman was charged with murder after her two children died in a hot car while she gambled in a casino. Launice Battle, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder related to the deaths of 2-year-old Trinity Milbourne and her 3-year-old sister Amora.
She was sentenced to serve just under eight to 10.5 years at a state correctional facility.
What People Are Saying
Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, on its website: "It is never safe for a child to be in or around a vehicle without adult supervision. During the warmer months of the year, unattended children left in cars are more likely to suffer heat-related illnesses. Children also may suffer injury when playing alone around parked vehicles...Parents running quick errands for a few minutes may think their child will remain unharmed if left alone and buckled in the car. However, every year, new stories emerge about the life-threatening consequences of children unintentionally left in the back seat of cars.
What Happens Next
Wang and Yeung are scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on February 6, 2025, according to court records.
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About the writer
Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. She has in-depth ... Read more