33-Year-Old Roseland Mother Charged In The Death Of 6-Month-Old Daughter Who Tragically Perished In Hot Car

Friday, August 2, 2024, 6:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

EAST HANOVER, NJ.- A 33-year-old Roseland, New Jersey, woman was released from custody after making her first appearance yesterday in Morris County Superior Court in connection with the tragic death of her 6-month-old daughter, who died from heat after being left in a hot car in an East Hanover parking lot.

     According to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at around 1:30 p.m., members of the East Hanover Police Department responded to the parking lot of a business located near the intersection of Route 10 and South Ridgedale Avenue in East Hanover following receiving a 911 Emergency Call reporting an unresponsive infant inside a parked vehicle.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers found an unresponsive 6-month-old infant girl unresponsive inside a parked vehicle. Despite life-saving measures by paramedics and emergency medical staff, the infant sadly succumbed to heat-related trauma and was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

     The initial investigation by responding Police Officers determined that the infant girl was left unattended inside a vehicle for approximately four and one-half hours.

     After concluding the investigation, Detectives of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the East Hanover Police Department found probable cause to charge the infant’s mother, Livia Patelli, 33, of Roseland, New Jersey, with second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child for negligently leaving the infant in the car.

     Ms. Patelli was processed on the charge and remanded to the Morris County Correctional Facility. On Thursday, August 1, 2024, She appeared for her first appearance in Morris County Superior Court and was released pending future court proceedings.

     Although charges have been filed, the investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information regarding the tragic death of the infant is asked to contact the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200 or the East Hanover Police Department at (973) 887-0432.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”