LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Lakewood man who was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after his 4-month-old son was found unresponsive in a parked vehicle and later pronounced dead, has been released from the Ocean County Jail.
Moshe Ehrlich, 35, was arrested Thursday following an investigation into the March 18 incident, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
Ehrlich was released shortly after his pre-trial hearing on Thursday.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office has also come under fire for only charging Ehrlric with endangering the welfare of a child, a less serious charge than manslaughter or involuntary manslaughter, which is common in child abandonment death cases nationwide.
According to police, at approximately 1:45 p.m. on March 18, Lakewood Township police responded to a call about an infant in distress inside a vehicle on 5th Street. First responders, including Hatzolah Medical Services, attempted lifesaving aid before transporting the baby to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Lakewood Township Police Department, determined that the child had been left alone in the vehicle for an extended period.
Ehrlich turned himself in to authorities on March 20 and was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains in custody without bail.
The case remains under investigation, and additional charges may be filed, authorities said.