A video shared on a community Facebook page caught a West Mifflin woman driving with her young daughter on her lap Thursday night on Route 837 in Duquesne, police said.
The video was shared with Duquesne police, who said they were able to identify the driver as 29-year-old Mary Ann Campagna and confirm that her daughter was under 4 years old.
Campagna told police that she drove with the girl on her lap because she didn’t have a car seat when she was driving home, according to a criminal complaint.
Police said in the complaint that they did not see a car seat in the SUV she had been driving but there was one on Campagna’s front porch when they spoke to her.
Campagna is facing a felony count of child endangerment and summary traffic violations including reckless driving and not using child safety restraints, according to the complaint.
Duquesne police said on their Facebook page that 911 was never called and the woman continued to endanger the child.
“The moral of the story is that Facebook cannot arrest people, the police do,” the department said. “If you see a crime happening, getting photos and video are certainly helpful, but please immediately dial 911 and report the incident.”
State law requires children under the age of 4 to be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat.
Children under 2 must be secured in a rear-facing car seat until they reach height and weight requirements set by car seat manufacturers, and children who are between 4 and 8 years old must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat, according to the law.
UPMC Children’s Hospital offers tips for parents about car seats on its web page.
