A 46-year-old Bergen County woman was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after police say her 6-year-old son had wandered alone through a Fort Lee parking lot while she remained passed out behind the wheel, reeking of alcohol. Officers discovered open containers of alcohol inside the vehicle once they arrived at the scene at approximately 9:05 p.m. on August 25, 2026.
According to Daily Voice, Fort Lee police were dispatched to the rear parking lot of 2180 Center Avenue after an anonymous caller reported seeing a woman asleep behind the wheel with a child inside the vehicle. When officers arrived, they found Sun A. Lee asleep in the driver's seat and her 6-year-old in the back seat; detectives later determined that the child had previously gotten out of the car and wandered around the lot without supervision. Police say the child had spent about 50 minutes in the parked vehicle with Lee during that period, and officers found him safely back in the back seat.
Per the same account, Lee appeared intoxicated when officers woke her, and the driver's door was found open with the ignition off. Investigators say she remained asleep inside the car the entire time her son was outside unsupervised. The Division of Child Protection and Permanency was notified about the incident, per police, a step required under New Jersey's mandatory reporting law, N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10, whenever abuse or neglect is suspected, according to Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey. That statute triggers an independent DCPP safety assessment regardless of the outcome of any criminal case. The New Jersey Department of Children and Families says its Division of Child Protection and Permanency investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect and, when necessary, arranges for a child's protection and the family's treatment. More than two-thirds of referrals made to the New Jersey Child Abuse Hotline reportedly involve allegations of neglect.
Setting in a Dense Commuter Corridor
The address where the incident unfolded sits along Center Avenue near the Bridge Plaza approach corridors to the George Washington Bridge, according to StreetEasy. Fort Lee is one of the most densely populated suburban communities in Bergen County, with an estimated 40,067 residents packed into just 2.5 square miles, per Census Reporter data drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau. That density underscores the risk of a small child slipping away unsupervised in a commercial or residential lot.
Fort Lee detectives continued investigating the following morning, the report states. A family friend took custody of Lee and the child for the night after the initial police response, and Edward Young prepared the department's release detailing the incident. Lee was ultimately taken to Bergen County Jail and held pending a future court date.
What Charges Could Still Follow
Lee was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, but police have not indicated whether additional motor vehicle charges will follow. Under New Jersey law, endangering the welfare of a child by a parent or legal guardian is a second-degree crime carrying a presumption of incarceration of five to 10 years and fines up to $150,000, according to Villani & DeLuca, P.C.
It remains an open question whether prosecutors will pursue additional charges such as DWI with a minor passenger under N.J.S.A. 39:4-50.15, which carries up to six months of license suspension and fines up to $1,000, as explained by William Proetta Criminal Law. Open container violations under N.J.S.A. 39:4-51b are also mentioned as a possibility.
The broader risks associated with alcohol-impaired driving remain significant. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths in 2024. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 221 children 14 and younger were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2024.
Lee was remanded to Bergen County Jail pending a future court date. The jail was identified in reports as Bergen County Jail.
Part of a Pattern in Bergen County
Part of a Pattern in Bergen County
Not every case involving alcohol-related child endangerment in New Jersey ends in prison time. In March, a former South Jersey municipal mayor charged with child endangerment following a DUI arrest with a child in her vehicle entered the state's Pretrial Intervention program to complete court-ordered treatment and avoid criminal prosecution, a diversion option. Whether Lee will be offered a similar path, and how DCPP's safety evaluation will affect her son's custody arrangements going forward, remain open questions as the case moves through Bergen County's court system.
