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Deputies: Man arrested after 4 children found in hot SUV

Children inside SUV at mall were 'sweating and in distress,' arrest report says

Clay County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Cephas Bradley

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A 911 call made Saturday from Orange Park Mall led to the arrest of a New York man on four counts of child neglect. 

Saturday afternoon, Cephas Bradley, 27, of Brooklyn, was arrested after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said four young children were left in a hot sport utility vehicle. 

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According to an arrest report, shortly before 2 p.m., a deputy was called to the Orange Park Mall on Wells Road in reference to a possible child neglect case. When the deputy arrived, he located four unattended children in a parked Dodge SUV with the windows up and doors unlocked, according to the report. The deputy noted in the report that the vehicle was off, and the children were "sweating and in distress." The report stated that when Bradley returned to the SUV, he was questioned by the deputy as to why he left the children in the vehicle, but his response to that question was redacted from the report. 

Mall security told the deputy that the children had been left in the SUV for 20 to 30 minutes prior to the deputy’s arrival, according to the report.

Fortunately, none of the children required medical attention. 

One of the children was released to a parent. It’s unclear what happened to the other three children. 

Clay County jail records show that Bradley has bonded out. 


About the Author
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Award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with 20 years experience.

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