A 46-year-old Bergen County woman has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child after Fort Lee police said she was found intoxicated and asleep inside a parked vehicle while a 6-year-old child was with her.
Police were called to the rear parking lot of 2180 Center Avenue at approximately 9:05 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25, after an anonymous caller reported a woman asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle with a child inside.
According to police, officers found the driver-side door open and the vehicle turned off. Sun A. Lee was asleep in the driver’s seat, while the child was in the back seat. Officers reportedly tried several times to wake Lee, and police said she appeared intoxicated after waking. Open containers of alcohol were also found inside the vehicle.
A family friend took custody of Lee and the child for the night, and the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency was notified.
Detectives continued investigating the following morning and determined that the child had been in the parked vehicle with Lee for approximately 50 minutes. Police said that during that period, the 6-year-old got out of the vehicle and walked around the parking lot without supervision while Lee remained asleep.
Lee was later arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending a future court appearance.
The charge is an accusation, and Lee is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: Fort Lee Police Department, as reported by Daily Voice.
By NJ RADAR Team