Mom left toddler daughter alone in car while she worked out at gym — and it wasn't the first time, cops say

A Florida woman is facing allegations of child neglect after reportedly leaving her young daughter unattended in a vehicle while she exercised at a gym. Authorities say 38-year-old Iranique Nyesha Martin left the child in the car outside Crunch Fitness in Sweetwater, near Miami, during her Saturday workout.

Iranique Nyesha Martin

Iranique Nyesha Martin (Miami-Dade Corrections).

Martin is charged with child neglect without causing great bodily harm. According to an arrest affidavit, a concerned citizen informed a police officer patrolling the area that they had seen a toddler, seemingly around three years old, alone in a vehicle parked outside the gym.

The witness reported seeing the same child alone in the vehicle the previous day. This repeated occurrence prompted them to notify the authorities. Officers quickly located the car, which was running with the child inside. Shortly thereafter, Martin emerged from the gym and admitted the child was her daughter.

When questioned about her whereabouts, Martin initially claimed she was just using the restroom, suggesting she had only been inside briefly. Police asked her to unlock the vehicle to ensure the child’s safety. The child was unharmed but unrestrained, and no car seat was present, as noted in the affidavit. However, surveillance footage allegedly showed Martin spent approximately an hour inside the gym, both working out and showering.

Police concluded that due to the child’s young age and inability to care for herself, leaving her alone in the car posed an unreasonable risk, amounting to child neglect.

“Due to the child’s age and inability to care for itself, this exposed the child to an unreasonable risk of harm and constitutes child neglect,” cops wrote.

Martin was taken to the Miami-Dade jail on a $20,000 bond. The girl was placed into custody of her father, the affidavit said.

Her next court date is set for May 19.

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