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Temperatures outside were in the low 80's at the time Leola Dualuqua, 37, of Willingboro, NJ exited her vehicle to go gamble in the casino.
Police arrived two hours later after being alerted to a 14 month old child inside sweltering
A New Jersey woman is facing charges after allegedly leaving her 14-month-old toddler in a parked car for over two hours while she gambled inside the casino.
The incident happened at the Parx Casino in Bensalem Pennsylvania located at the 2900 block of Street Road shortly before 9 p.m. April 14.
Police received a report of a child who appeared to be younger than 2 years old locked inside an unoccupied vehicle in the Parx parking lot, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The sleeping child was secured in a rear car seat and appeared to be covered in sweat, the affidavit said.
An officer used a lockout kit to open the car while other officers attempted to identify the vehicle operator. Inside the casino police found the car's owner, Leola Dualuqua, 37, of Willingboro, gambling, the affidavit said.
Surveillance video showed Dualuqua leave her vehicle just before 6:30 pm when temperatures outside were still in the low 80's. Temperatures inside a vehicle can rise 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes, and 50 degrees in an hour
Emergency workers called to the scene reported the child who was “very hot,” covered in sweat and wearing a soiled diaper, the affidavit said. The child was taken to a local hospital for further medical evaluation. No further update on his condition was included in the affidavit.
Dualuqua, who lists herself as a special ed teacher on social media, was arraigned early Wednesday before District Judge Corryn Kronnagel on a felony charge of endangering the welfare of children and a summary charge of leaving a child unattended in a car.
She is free after posting bail and had no legal representation listed as of April 16, according to the public docket.
Sadly More Common Than One Might Think
Within this region alone, over the last two years, children have been left in parked vehicles while the parent or adult guardian went inside the casino to gamble.
- Hollywood Casino York: A woman was banned in 2026 for leaving three children (ages 2, 6, and 12) in a car for 29 minutes.
- Wind Creek Casino (Bethlehem): A patron was banned in 2025 for leaving a 10-year-old in a car with the windows up and engine off for 45 minutes in 90-degree heat.
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia: A male patron was placed on the exclusion list for leaving children (ages 10 and 11) in a vehicle for approximately 20 minutes.
- Live! Casino Pittsburgh: A male patron was banned after leaving children (ages 1 and 3) in a vehicle for 26 minutes
Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
