Brooklyn Grandmother Renee Osby Left Her 5-Year-Old Granddaughter In A Car While She Gambled At A Casino

A Brooklyn woman has been charged with leaving her 5-year-old granddaughter alone and locked in a car, in sub-freezing temperatures, for an hour while she gambled at a Queens casino, the New York Daily News is reporting.

Renne Osby, 56, tried to enter the Resorts World Casino in Queens with her 5-year-old granddaughter in tow, but was told that children were not allowed inside. When she returned to the casino a few minutes later without the child, casino security became suspicious.

A security guard went to the casino’s parking lot and found the Brooklyn grandmother’s car, with the 5-year-old, identified by relatives as Jordan, locked inside the unheated car (the temperature in Queens was around 32 degrees at the time). The security guard called the police.

About an hour later, Ms. Osby came back out to her car, according to the Daily Mail, to find police waiting for her. She claimed that she had only gone into the casino to cash a check. However, sources reported that she had been inside the casino, playing slot machines, for over an hour.

She was arrested and charged with “acting in a manner injurious to a child.” The 5-year-old granddaughter was returned, unharmed, to her mother, who lives with Ms. Osby.

Resorts World Casino issued a statement about the situation.

“Earlier today, Resorts World security observed a five-year-old child in an unattended vehicle in the parking lot. They were able to safely remove the child from the vehicle and immediately called 911. The safety and security of everyone on Resorts World property is our number one priority.”

Unfortunately, stories of caregivers leaving children alone in vehicles are all too common. In Norwalk, Connecticut, for example, a mom left her child alone in a hot SUV while she was in a bar, drinking, according to this Inquisitr report.

Children should never be left alone in a car, not even for a few minutes, according to One Tough Job. The problem is most pronounced in the summer months, when a child can die of heat stroke in a matter of minutes, but leaving a child alone in a car any time of year can be dangerous.

“Left alone in a vehicle, even for a short time, a child is in danger of dehydration, injury, abduction, and other risks. At no time during the year should you or others who transport your child leave him alone in a car, not even for a minute. We all lead hectic lives and are busy trying to get everything done in little or no time, but stop and think about what is really important – your child and his safety and well-being, and no matter what, your child must always come first.”

What punishment do you think this grandmother deserves for leaving her granddaughter alone in a car while she gambled?

[Image courtesy of: New York Daily News]