Kristina Vitucci speaking to police about allegedly leaving her infant daughter in her car for hours (Edgewater Police Dept.). Inset: Vitucci (EPD).
A 26-year-old mother in Florida faces charges after allegedly leaving her 6-month-old daughter alone in a running car for several hours while she cleaned a client’s home. Authorities report that she checked on the infant approximately every 45 minutes.
Kristina Vitucci was taken into custody and charged with child abuse and violation of probation after a passerby discovered the baby alone inside the vehicle and called 911.
According to a press release from the Edgewater Police Department, officers responded to a local residence after a concerned citizen noticed a vehicle running in a driveway for several hours. The individual approached the car, found an infant alone inside, and immediately contacted 911.
Upon arriving, first responders located the baby inside the running vehicle. Although the air conditioning was operating, police stated it was “not adequately keeping the interior comfortable.” While the infant did not appear to have suffered any physical injuries, police noted the child was “visibly uncomfortable.”
In bodycam footage released by police, an officer asked Vitucci why she had not brought her daughter inside. She responded that she had been cleaning the client’s nearby home for a few hours and had been checking on the child “every 45 minutes.”
Vitucci stated she had been at the home for approximately three hours by the time police arrived.
The resident of the home confirmed to police that Vitucci had left the house to go outside “a couple of times,” but said she did not know there was a child inside the vehicle, according to a report from Tampa Bay CBS affiliate WTSP.
In a probable cause affidavit obtained by Daytona Beach NBC affiliate WESH, police described the infant as being “in distress crying and covered by a blanket” when they reached the scene.
Officers also reported that Vitucci appeared more concerned about her cellphone than her infant.
“During the investigation and subsequent arrest, officers also noted Vitucci appeared significantly more concerned with locating her cellular phone than with the circumstances involving her child or the seriousness of the situation,” the release states.
The incident was not the first time Vitucci had been accused of leaving a child in a vehicle.
In February 2025, Vitucci was arrested after police said she left a child inside a vehicle while she was at a local bar consuming alcohol. She was subsequently placed on probation in that case, according to the Edgewater Police Department. Police stated the current incident likely violated the terms of that probation.
Additionally, the homeowner reportedly told authorities that when Vitucci cleaned her house about a month earlier, she also left her parked car running. Vitucci allegedly explained that she left it running so her battery would not die.
“Leaving an infant unattended inside a vehicle for hours is dangerous, irresponsible, and completely unacceptable,” police said in a statement. “Vehicles can quickly become dangerous environments for children, even when left running, and mechanical or air-conditioning failures can occur without warning.”
Vitucci is being held in the Volusia County Jail without bond. She is scheduled to appear in court for her arraignment on Oct. 13.
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