A Spring Township woman is facing a misdemeanor charge after police say a 5-year-old child was found wandering outside alone during winter conditions in December.
According to Spring Township Police, officers were dispatched on Dec. 14, 2025, to a welfare check in the 2300 block of Reading Avenue after a caller reported finding a young child outside their apartment. Police said the caller told officers that when they answered a knock at the door, they encountered a crying, cold, and frightened 5-year-old boy wearing only pajamas.
Police said the child told them he did not know where his mother was. While on scene, officers said the child led them to his nearby apartment, where the front door was found open. Police reported that they cleared the apartment but did not locate any guardians inside.
According to police, a Pennsylvania driver’s license belonging to Nicole Urena Apolinario, 26, was found inside the residence. Officers located a phone number and attempted to make contact, police said. Shortly afterward, Urena Apolinario and the child’s father arrived at the scene.
Police said officers informed the parents that the child had been found by a neighbor wandering outside in the snow, crying and unable to locate his mother. According to police, Urena Apolinario stated that she had left the child alone to pick up the child’s father from work and did not believe leaving him unattended would be an issue.
As a result of the investigation, police said Urena Apolinario was charged with one count of endangering the welfare of children, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Although the incident occurred on Dec. 14, 2025, the information was released by police on Jan. 22, 2026.
All charges are allegations. Nicole Urena Apolinario is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
