Police say a toddler was left on the shore of Lake George while his parents were boating

A man and a woman were arrested in the Lake George area of ​​New York state after police said they left their child unattended while boating on the lake.

The 30-year-old father and 28-year-old mother from Pennsylvania were arrested by state police in Queensbury on Tuesday for “endangering the welfare of a child.” A state police news release said officers responded to reports of an “unsupervised toddler on the beach” just before 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.

A passerby heard the child crying loudly about five feet from the shore and alerted the police. An investigation revealed that the toddler had been left unattended for about 15 minutes while the parents were boating on the lake.

Toddler handed over to the care of a family member

The parents were taken into custody but later released after being issued summonses to appear at the Lake George Town court on June 27.

A New York State Police spokesperson told USA TODAY that the child, who is less than a year old, was unharmed and was not returned to his parents. The baby, whose gender was not identified, was instead released to a family member.