Police: Child Care Provider Left Kids Alone In Car

A child-care provider from Amityville was arrested on Monday after she allegedly left two young children in a locked vehicle in Melville, Suffolk County Police said.

Bridget Erwat, 49, was arrested and charged with two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Erwat, who operates Bridget’s Children’s Place out of her home, posted bail and will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date. A notification was made to the Suffolk County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services Bureau.

According to police, a witness noticed two young children alone in the backseat of a 2005 Honda CRV that was parked in the Costco parking lot at 625 Broadhollow Road at around 2 p.m. The witness unlocked a door through an open window and took the two children, one age four and one 8-months old, into the store.

Police said the children were not harmed and were in the unattended vehicle a minimum of 10 minutes before they were found.