PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 26-year-old Bristol Township woman accused of neglecting her young child will stand trial in Bucks County after waiving her preliminary hearing.
Breanna Newman faces a first-degree felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child for neglecting her 2-year-old son.
According to charging documents, when social workers in Bucks County got a tip about the child’s poor health in December, the toddler weighed 19 pounds, which authorities say is the average weight for a 9-month-old.
The criminal complaint says Newman got disability income on the child’s behalf because of a medical condition.
But when police went to the home where Newman lived with the child in Croydon, they say there was little to no food appropriate for a 2-year-old, and trash from food delivery services was piled up in the kitchen. They also say there were “a few pajama outfits” for the child, but no other clothes.
The woman who alerted social workers told them she saw the boy’s health deteriorating and told Newman to contact a medical assistance program, but the woman says Newman did not because she was afraid she would lose custody. She also told police Newman would shut the boy in a bedroom by himself while she talked on the phone for hours.
Authorities say Newman is from Indiana, which is where the child was born. She moved to Pennsylvania in July to live with a man she had met online. The child has reportedly gained 10 pounds while under hospital care.