Mother Charged After Leaving Toddler In Parx Casino Parking Lot

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA — A 37-year-old New Jersey woman is in custody after being charged in an incident in which her 14-month-old child was left in the parking lot of the Parx Casino while she gambled, police said.

Leola Dualuqua, 37, of Willingboro, N.J., had left the child unattended in the vehicle at about 6:28 p.m. last Tuesday and did not return.

Bensalem Police said she was later located inside the casino actively gambling.

Dualuqua was taken into custody and charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Leaving a Child in an Unattended Motor Vehicle.

Bensalem Police responded to the parking lot at Parx Casino regarding an unattended child inside a vehicle.

Upon arrival, officers located a 14-month-old child in the backseat of a locked vehicle that was not running, with the windows closed.

The child appeared to be sleeping but was visibly sweating, as outside temperatures were in the mid-80s.

Officers were able to gain entry to the vehicle and safely remove the child.

The child’s father was contacted, and Bensalem EMS transported the child to St. Mary Medical Center, where he was evaluated and later released to his father.

Parx Casino security assisted officers on scene and during the investigation.

Dualuqua was arraigned by District Justice Corryn Kronnagel and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $25,000 bail.