Young child left in car at PATCO station in Lindenwold found dead, authorities say

A young child left in a vehicle in a parking lot at the PATCO High-Speed Line station in Lindenwold was found dead Friday, authorities said.

Emergency personnel were called to the scene Friday afternoon, said Mike Williams, a spokesman for the Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the rail line. Attempts were made to resuscitate the child, he said.

It was unknown how long the child had been in the vehicle, Williams said. Authorities did not release the age or sex of the child, but a woman who was with the child’s family at the scene said she was a 2-year-old girl.

Williams said the circumstances surrounding the child’s death are in the early stages of investigation and no further information was immediately available.

The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating. The DRPA is assisting with the investigation.

The dark-colored Dodge Caravan was partially covered by several plastic sheets and later was blocked from view by black partitions as investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office worked at the scene.

Crime-scene tape enclosed a large section of the parking lot, including nearly 20 parked vehicles of commuters.

Police from Lindenwold and the DRPA kept onlookers and reporters far from the minivan. A few people stopped to ask what was happening, but most traveling in and out of the station seemed determined to simply go home.

Just before 7 p.m., the vehicle was towed from the scene. It was clear that the passenger-side window had been shattered.

Lindenwold is the last stop in New Jersey for PATCO, which connects Camden County and Philadelphia and has 10.5 million riders annually.