NEWARK, N.J. (WCBS 880) -- The mother of Jashyah Moore, the New Jersey teen who was safely located Thursday night after nearly a month missing, was charged Friday with endangering the welfare of a child.
Police and acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II announced Jamie Moore, 39, of East Orange, was charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child on allegations of physical abuse and neglect.
Moore is being kept at the Essex County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance.
Moore's daughter Jashyah and 3-year-old son have been removed from her custody by New Jersey's Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
It comes less than a day after Jashyah Moore, 14, was found safe in the Harlem section of New York City, and was being provided “all appropriate services.”
Moore had last been seen around 10 a.m. on Oct. 14, when she went to Poppies Deli on Central Avenue in East Orange but never returned home. Surveillance video showed her making a purchase at the deli before she vanished.
East Orange police said Jashyah was at the deli with an older man who paid for her groceries. They said he was fully cooperative with investigators and they don't suspect foul play.
"It appears she was a runaway," said Stephens at a press conference Friday. "It appears she was more comfortable where she was."
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Officials said Moore stayed at various places in New Jersey, but ended up at a Brooklyn shelter. But she was found in Harlem after someone apparently noticed her, although with a different haircut.
Law enforcement wasn't able to clear up how Moore got around on her own at this point, but called her an "extremely resilient and resourceful young lady."
Jamie Moore had told WCBS-TV she believed her daughter was kidnapped, and did not run away.
Law enforcement was due to meet with Jamie Moore Friday before determining if and when Jashyah would return home. Stephens said her mother was cooperative in speaking to prosecutors and the media, but are still working to see if she was upfront with investigators.
Officials said Moore wasn't enrolled in a school at the time of her disappearance.
A reward for finding Moore had swelled to $20,000 this week. Officials said the reward was "still available" if it was to be given out.
A multitude of law enforcement and other officials were credited with finding Moore, ranging from New Jersey police departments, to the FBI and the NYPD. Officials also thanked the media for their coverage of Moore's disappearance, and the public who helped spread the word.
"This is a perfect example for the potential to have positive outcomes when we come together and work as a whole community," said East Orange Police Chief Phyllis Bindi.