A Philadelphia father is facing child endangerment charges after leaving his 3-year-old inside a parked vehicle while working out at a gym on a hot day, according to Falls Township Police.
Mikal Malik Walker, 31, of Philadelphia, was charged with felony child endangerment and a summary offense of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle earlier this month.
Falls Township Police responded to the parking lot outside the Planet Fitness on Plaza Boulevard Saturday, Aug. 1, after a call to 911 reporting a young child left alone in a silver Buick.
The caller arrived, according to police, at the facility and saw the child alone in the vehicle. The vehicle was not running and no one was in proximity to the Buick. It’s windows and sunroof were open.
Temperatures on that day were near 90 degrees.
Walker confirmed to an investigating officer that he had left the 3-year-old in the car during his workout, police wrote in the probable cause.
Walker, told police according to court records, he parked near the Planet Fitness entrance, left the windows down, and checked on the child every 10 minutes throughout his about one hour workout.
Walker allegedly told authorities he was not concerned for the child’s safety because the windows were open and he had provided toys, according to police. He told responding officers the doors were locked to prevent the 3 year-old from wandering off or being kidnapped.
Walker was preliminarily arraigned Monday August 10 and posted bond of $25,000 with a court date pending for later this month. He has no attorney of record according to online court records.
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