Police: Babysitter to be charged for leaving toddler alone in Tarentum park
A babysitter will be charged with child endangerment after Tarentum police say she left a 2-year-old boy alone in Riverview Memorial Park on Tuesday.
Karen Jones, 56, of Pittsburgh, allegedly told police she left the boy in the park so she could go back to the child’s Second Avenue home and get him some dry clothes because he was soaking wet, police Chief Bill Vakulick said.
The child was dry when police found him, Vakulick said.
Police were notified of the incident shortly after 6 p.m.
According to Vakulick, a park visitor told police that while she was at the park, the boy walked up to her and began playing with her child. After an extended period of time, when she saw the child was unsupervised, she called police.
The department shared a photo of the child on its Facebook page, and officers were quickly able to determine where the child lived. Officers found Jones at the child’s home, Vakulick said.
The child was safe and unharmed, police said.
Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Madasyn at 724-226-4702, mczebiniak@tribweb.com or via Twitter .
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