3 Infants Die In Just 40 Hours In Essex County; Warning Issued To Parents

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County officials are urging local parents to “take proper precautions to protect children” in the wake of three baby deaths over a 40-hour period last week.

On Wednesday, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office released preliminary details about three separate infant deaths in Belleville, East Orange and Newark.

According to prosecutors:

• “On Sept. 26, a 26-day-old baby died in Belleville. At this time, the death appears to be a medical incident.”
• “On Sept. 23, an 11-day-old baby died in East Orange. The parents reported that the baby was in the bed with them. Both parents fell asleep and when they woke up the baby was unresponsive. The baby boy was rushed to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead. There are two other children in the family.”
• “On Sept. 23, Newark police responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive female infant. The mother was actively performing CPR when they arrived. The girl baby was pronounced at Newark Beth Israel. The preliminary investigation indicates the mother put the baby on a futon after feeding the child. When she woke up the baby was on the futon with an older sibling, a two-year-old daughter. It’s unclear at this time when the two-year-old climbed onto the futon.”

The incidents do not appear to be criminal but are “very troubling,” Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino said.

Final autopsy results, including toxicology results, are still pending, but preliminary autopsies indicate the children were not the victims of trauma, prosecutors stated Wednesday.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office – which is still attempting to determine the cause of deaths – parents should heed an important warning: “Avoid sleeping with very young children and make sure you have cribs or bassinets.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that the following basic steps can help protect infants:

• Make sure the baby is sleeping on his or her back and sleeping alone.
• Keep blankets, stuffed animals and other items away from the sleeping area.
• Make sure the baby is on a firm surface.
• Bring the baby into your bedroom but not into your bed.

“While the investigations in all three cases remain open, we felt it was important to remind parents of the dangers of sleeping with infants or keeping infants on sofas surfaces,” Laurino said. “We further wanted to remind parents that there are resources in the community to obtain cribs and bassinets which are designed for young infants.”

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