TRENTON — Firefighters evacuating a perilous burning home at 457 W. Hanover St. yesterday — their trucks sounding the urgent airhorn alert for firemen to get out — s
tumbled upon a sick 3-year-old boy inside who had been left home alone.
His grandmother had gone to the corner store to buy him decongestant, police said. The boy was found underneath furniture where he had apparently hidden from the heat and smoke.
His limp body was rushed out of the home and laid on a stretcher. He was lifted into an ambulance and rushed to Mercer Hospital, where he received emergency treatment for smoke inhalation before being helicoptered to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He was in critical condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
City and county detectives charged the boy’s grandmother, Antoinette Kennedy, 56, of 457 W. Hanover St., with endangering the welfare of a child, said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for Mercer Prosecutor Joe Bocchini.
The toddler was identified by Trenton police Capt. Joe Juniak as Isaiah Kennedy, 3.
“The grandmother was taking care of the child who was apparently sick,” Juniak said. “Preliminary investigation revealed she may have left the child for about 15 minutes to go down to the corner store to buy some decongestant because the child was sick.” This was about 10:19 a.m.
“But that was a bad decision on her part,” he said. “Because while she was at the store, that’s when the fire started, and the child sustained smoke inhalation. She has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, based on the fact she is the adult caretaker, and her responsibility is for the utmost safety of that child, and not to leave a 3-year-old unattended.”
Even though she went for decongestant, she made a wrong decision allowing the boy to stay home alone, Juniak said. Since she had no other criminal history, she was released on her own recognizance. “And it will be under further review by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office,” he added.
He said it was unfortunate she made that decision. “It just highlights the utmost importance that we as adults or caretakers have when taking care of a child, not to make a decision to leave a child unattended,” Juniak said.
“Because you never know what may happen. And here we have a 3-year-old child who could not protect himself.”
The fire appears to be accidental, electrical in nature, possibly involving an outlet where a drier was plugged in, he said.
Working the case were Detective Richard Fink of the Special Victims Unit; Detective Cynthia Hargis, lead investigator on the case with the County Prosecutor’s Office on the endangering charges, and Detective Thomas Brophy, who handled the arson investigation along with the county and city fire department.
Juniak didn’t know the identity of little TRENTON — Firefighters evacuating a perilous burning home at 457 W. Hanover St. yesterday — their trucks sounding the urgent airhorn alert for firemen to get out — stumbled upon a sick 3-year-old boy inside who had been left home alone.
His grandmother had gone to the corner store to buy him decongestant, police said. The boy was found underneath furniture where he had apparently hidden from the heat and smoke.
His limp body was rushed out of the home and laid on a stretcher. He was lifted into an ambulance and rushed to Mercer Hospital, where he received emergency treatment for smoke inhalation before being helicoptered to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He was in critical condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
City and county detectives charged the boy’s grandmother, Antoinette Kennedy, 56, of 457 W. Hanover St., with endangering the welfare of a child, said Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for Mercer Prosecutor Joe Bocchini.
The toddler was identified by Trenton police Capt. Joe Juniak as Isaiah Kennedy, 3.
“The grandmother was taking care of the child who was apparently sick,” Juniak said. “Preliminary investigation revealed she may have left the child for about 15 minutes to go down to the corner store to buy some decongestant because the child was sick.” This was about 10:19 a.m.
“But that was a bad decision on her part,” he said. “Because while she was at the store, that’s when the fire started, and the child sustained smoke inhalation. She has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, based on the fact she is the adult caretaker, and her responsibility is for the utmost safety of that child, and not to leave a 3-year-old unattended.”
Even though she went for decongestant, she made a wrong decision allowing the boy to stay home alone, Juniak said. Since she had no other criminal history, she was released on her own recognizance. “And it will be under further review by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office,” he added.
He said it was unfortunate she made that decision. “It just highlights the utmost importance that we as adults or caretakers have when taking care of a child, not to make a decision to leave a child unattended,” Juniak said. “Because you never know what may happen. And here we have a 3-year-old child who could not protect himself.”
The fire appears to be accidental, electrical in nature, possibly involving an outlet where a drier was plugged in, he said.
Working the case were Detective Richard Fink of the Special Victims Unit; Detective Cynthia Hargis, lead investigator on the case with the County Prosecutor’s Office on the endangering charges, and Detective Thomas Brophy, who handled the arson investigation along with the county and city fire department.
Juniak didn’t know the identity of little Isaiah’s parents or where they were at the time of the fire.
The fire started in the basement and was mostly contained there, with excessive heat damage up into the kitchen, along with heat, fire and broken window damage, said a battalion chief.
“If the kid was in the basement, the kid would have died,” he said. “The kid was on the first floor. You’ve got to believe the kid was trying to find a way out; it was hot, smoky.”s parents or where they were at the time of the fire.
The fire started in the basement and was mostly contained there, with excessive heat damage up into the kitchen, along with heat, fire and broken window damage, said a battalion chief.
“If the kid was in the basement, the kid would have died,” he said. “The kid was on the first floor. You’ve got to believe the kid was trying to find a way out; it was hot, smoky.”
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