A Cumberland County mom is accused of abandoning her 10-year-old son with special needs in the woods near a New Jersey military base.
New Jersey State Police say that the boy was found Thursday by a passing motorist who saw him walking in the woods near the visitor’s center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
The boy told employees at the center that his mother had walked him into the woods with his luggage and left him there, according to a news release. Police say that the boy fell asleep in the woods and woke up hungry.
The child was treated for minor injuries. Officials say they located his mother, 39-year-old Millville City resident Debra Wisler, after he gave them her name.
It was not immediately known for how long the boy was left in the woods.
State police say Wisler abandoned the boy after she found out he wasn't eligible for a children's program at the base. She's charged with child endangerment.
The child has been placed in a temporary home.
Wisler was released pending a court date. She did not wish to comment on the situation when News 12 New Jersey showed up at her home.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.