Willingboro Mom Arrested After Toddler Found Sweating Inside Locked Car at Parx Casino, Police Say

A Willingboro woman was arrested after police say she left her 14-month-old child alone inside a locked vehicle for more than two hours while she was inside Parx Casino gambling.

According to Bensalem Police, officers responded to the casino parking lot around 8:53 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, after getting a report of an unattended child in a vehicle.

When officers arrived, they found the toddler in the backseat of a locked car that was not running, with the windows closed. Police said the child appeared to be sleeping but was visibly sweating as temperatures outside were in the mid-80s.

Officers were able to get into the vehicle and safely remove the child. The toddler was later taken to St. Mary Medical Center by EMS, where he was evaluated and released to his father.

Investigators said the child’s mother, Leola Dualuqua, 37, of Willingboro, New Jersey, had left the child in the car around 6:28 p.m. and never returned. She was later found inside the casino actively gambling, police said.

Dualuqua was taken into custody and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and leaving a child in an unattended motor vehicle.

She was arraigned and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $25,000 bail.

Police also thanked Parx Casino security for helping during the investigation.