A New Jersey man is facing multiple charges after a 2-year-old boy allegedly ingested cocaine and began struggling to breathe while under his supervision during a Jersey Shore vacation.
Alexander T. Moles, 39, brought the toddler to a hospital in North Wildwood on Monday, July 20, after the child developed serious breathing difficulties, according to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
Emergency crews with the North Wildwood Fire Department were called to Moles’ vehicle, which had stopped near the intersection of 21st and New Jersey avenues following a report that a young boy was sick.
Paramedics administered two doses of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan. Authorities said the child responded to the medication before being rushed to Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional for additional treatment.
Preliminary blood tests later came back positive for cocaine, prosecutors said.
Investigators determined that Moles had been vacationing at a rental home in Wildwood at the time of the frightening incident.
Court documents obtained by New Jersey 101.5 reportedly show that Moles was staying at an Airbnb with a woman and several children. Moles had allegedly been placed in charge of watching the children while the woman took a shower.
When she returned, however, she noticed that the 2-year-old appeared unusually sleepy, according to the court records.
Moles reportedly began driving the toddler to the hospital and called the woman during the trip, telling her that the child was falling asleep. Alarmed by what she heard, the woman called 911.
Moles later told investigators that he believed the toddler may have swallowed “painkillers.”
Authorities subsequently searched the room where Moles had been staying and allegedly discovered broken pieces of a pill, several tinfoil packets marked “tapentadol hydrochloride” and a clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance.
Tapentadol hydrochloride is a prescription narcotic pain medication.
Moles was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of prescription legend drugs, according to prosecutors. He is also facing a disorderly persons offense.
Following his arrest, Moles was taken to the Cape May Correctional Facility. He was released under court-ordered conditions after a detention hearing on July 24.
Authorities have not explained how the cocaine allegedly entered the toddler’s system, and the investigation remains ongoing. It was not immediately clear whether Moles had retained an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 609-465-1135. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the prosecutor’s office tip website.
