A New York City man was charged after a three-year-old girl he was babysitting fell unconscious, and he surpassed a nearby hospital to drive hours away to a center in Queens.
New York Police Department officers dispatched to a call about a dead young child named Jaylynn Evans who was brought to Cohen Children’s Medical Center around 7.15pm.
PIX 11 reports that officers were informed that Anthony Richardson, of the Bronx, had brought the little girl to the facility while she was unconscious and unresponsive.
There were no signs of obvious trauma, police told Pix 11.
Jaylynn Evans (pictured), a three-year-old girl in New York City, died on Thursday evening after she became unconscious and unresponsive
Some reports have said the girl may have been infected with COVID-19 at the time, but the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.
The child’s mother had reportedly left her under the care of Richardson, who is the father of mother’s best friend.
According to New York Daily News, Richardson had been watching Jaylynn and another four-year-old child at his Mott Haven home.
The two children were watching TV and eating snacks when Jaylynn suddenly fell ill.
Anthony Richardson drove Jaylynn to Cohen Children’s Medical Center (pictured) in Queens from the Bronx but the trip took hours, authorities said
Although Lincoln Medical Center (pictured) is under a mile away from Richardson’s home, he reportedly felt the child would receive better treatment at a different medical center
Richardson reportedly did not immediately call 911 or drive the child to Lincoln Medical Center under one mile away.
Instead, he loaded the children into his vehicle and drove nearly 20 miles out of the Bronx to Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in Queens. The trip, authorities told NYDN, took hours.
When asked why he took Jaylynn to a hospital miles away, Pix 11 reports that Richardson told authorities he felt the nearby hospital was not as good and the child could get better service elsewhere.
Richardson was subsequently charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child under the age of 17.