Darien Nanny Charged After Leaving 3-Year-Old Unattended: Cops

DARIEN, CT — A 52-year-old Bridgeport woman, who works as a nanny in Darien, was charged with leaving a child unsupervised on Feb. 19 after she left a three-year-old alone in a running car for about 10 minutes, according to Darien police.

Officers were called to the parking lot of Darien Town Hall at about 9 a.m. on the 19th on a report of a child left unattended in a vehicle.

"Upon arrival, witnesses on scene told officers that a small child, later identified as being three years old, had been left alone in the vehicle for approximately 10 minutes," stated Darien police. "The vehicle was running and the keys were in the ignition. Officers observed the three year old in the driver’s seat playing with the steering wheel."

A short time later, Claudia M. Ortiz, the child's nanny and the operator of the vehicle, returned.

"Ortiz informed officers that she was dropping off another child in her care at an event at town hall and the child in the vehicle didn’t want to get out as it was cold outside," police said, adding that the child was unharmed. The parent of the children was contacted
and responded to the scene.

Officers issued a misdemeanor summons to Ortiz, and she was released on a promise to appear in Stamford Superior Court on March 1.

To sign up for Darien breaking news alerts and more, click here.