BROOKLYN — Prosecutors dropped the charges against an East New York mother whose 11-month-old baby drowned in a bathtub this weekend, the Brooklyn's District Attorney's office said Tuesday.
Angelica Huertas, 24, had been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her son Elijah Pardella was found unconscious at their Pennsylvania Avenue home Sunday afternoon, the NYPD said.
The baby boy had been taking a bath with his 3-year-old sister when Huertas left the room, sources said.
He was rushed to Brookdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"Upon our initial investigation we have determined that the death of Elijah Padilla was tragic and accidental," according to a statement from the Brooklyn DA's office. "It does not rise to a level of criminality and therefore we decline to prosecute the mother."
A friend and neighbor Sheila Rivera, 49, told DNAinfo she thought it was a "careless accident."
She said: "I think she thought with the little girl there [in the bathtub], she felt safe to walk away."
Huertas was reportedly released from custody on Tuesday.
