Patricia Krentcil Arrested For Putting 5-Year-Old Daughter In New Jersey Tanning Booth

Patricia Krentcil allegedly brought her daughter in an artificial tanning booth, allowing the girl to get burned.

UPDATE MAY 2: A New Jersey mom denies that her 5-year-old daughter's sunburn was caused by a trip to a tanning salon. Patricia Krentcil told NBC that she brought her child along to the salon, but the girl was never exposed to UV rays in the booth.

"I tan, she doesn't tan," Krentcil said on NBC. "I'm in the booth, she's in the room. That's all there is to it."

The girl's father Rich Krentcil said his daughter was sunburned from playing outside on a hot day.

PREVIOUSLY: A New Jersey mom is in hot water for supposedly putting her 5-year-old daughter in an artificial tanning booth, according to WABC.

The young girl's body was burned from the stint in the salon's tanning bed, NBC New York reported.

The Essex County Prosecutor's office charged the mother, 44-year-old Nutley resident Patricia Krentcil, with second-degree child endangerment. If found guilty, Krentcil could wind up behind bars where the sun doesn't shine.

Police arrested her on Tuesday after school officials reported that the kindergarten girl had a severe sunburn.

Krentcil's father got temporary custody of the girl, according to ABC.

State law prohibits anyone younger than 14 from entering the booths.

UPDATE: The owner of the tanning salon was not charged, because police believe that Krentcil sneaked her child into the booth without the salon's knowledge, according to WABC.

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Comments

[JustMeHere2]

10:43 PM on 05/14/2013

Hard to believe that she could sneak her daughter into the booth with her without the employees of the tanning spa not knowing it. The mom had to come in through the front door of the spa and sign in and maybe had to wait for a booth to be free. I'm sure the employee's saw her come in with a child. Where did they think the child was while mom was in the tanning bed....mom is the one responsible for sure but to say that the employee's at the spa didn't know....that's crazy...

[josb866161]

10:45 AM on 08/19/2012

sorry for the lousy spelling in my last post, or any other. I get to typing too fast. LOL

[josb866161]

10:43 AM on 08/19/2012

I think this age issue came up recently, where I live, and many people said it should be up to the parents. Obviousy an age law many have protected this child. I hope they throe the book at this woman. Burns are horribly painful. Also, I would like to know what the father's stand is on this issue, since he said she was burned from playing outside. Is she better off with him? Maybe there is someone with more sense in that family, that could have stepped up for her, or maybe not. Some people either don't have sense or don't want to make the effort.

[arayamm]

09:39 PM on 08/10/2012

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! The woman looks like an orange!!

I say not only ban the woman from salons but also take her daughter away from her!!

[satorii1s]

08:15 PM on 06/18/2012

If they Parody it on SNL you know its going to be around a while. :)

[dbrett480]

09:16 PM on 05/12/2012

We all know that the woman is nuts. But what about the owners of the tanning salon? They are just as culpable.

[JustMeHere2]

10:47 PM on 05/14/2013

I feel that way too but for the most part the mom is the responsible one. We do not know what she may have told the employee's at the spa. Maybe she said a friend was going to watch the child while she was tanning and they just took her at her word and were busy working and didn't think about it....in an earlier post I was saying the same thing.....doesn't make sense

[marymrevis]

03:01 AM on 05/12/2012

@Beverly Brown I saw your response to mine and all I can say is BRAVO ..WELL SAID! LOL

[marymrevis]

01:43 AM on 05/08/2012

Whether or not this is a true story..this woman is FREAKING MENTAL. Holy cow she had a ton of tanning solution smeared all over her face during a news interview. The chemical is killing her last lonely brain cell. OK so the freaking nut got her 15 minutes....NOW LET HER CRAZY BUTT just go away. Hopefully in a deep, dark jail cell if what she did is true.

[rewith85man]

12:51 AM on 05/06/2012

Her last name rhymes with a pencil. But, her face looks like someone did No. 2 on her.

[Star Vaughan]

12:54 PM on 05/07/2012

lol thats so clever

[doughboii2000]

07:26 PM on 05/07/2012

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Macildo]

10:36 PM on 05/05/2012

She lives in "Nut-ley"...how appropriate. If she keeps up her tanning routine she'll soon be moving to "Carcinoma-ville".

[Teresiya Sigmund]

06:06 PM on 05/05/2012

They took the child away based on pure speculation? That is hideous, as hideous as that woman's face. The child was not in imminent danger, if the child in no other way was neglected, and the sunburn could have been investigated without removing the child. Now THAT is traumatic. I used to get terrible sun burns as a child and my sister did not, it was just from the outside. Different people have different skin types.This story is so inconclusive it appears lots is missing, I sure hope this is not it and taken as grounds to destroy a family. In respect ti the standard this government sets I would have been removed from home many times over. I was very adventures and very wild and very curious, I was a child. Who knows what the little girl really did, kids get into all kinds of things...

[josb866161]

10:49 AM on 08/19/2012

Oh yes, lets keep this family together at all costs. WHAT? Maybe you should have been removed from your home, if your parents were respinsible for you adventures and curiosity, but I doubt your mom put you in a tanning bed. Every had burns like these, I doubt it.

[bonelessfluff]

04:30 PM on 05/04/2012

Can you believe she's only 18?

[lgtaper]

04:21 PM on 05/04/2012

was that a Squirrel ??

[whycantwejustallgetalong]

02:00 PM on 05/04/2012

Right now, I'm not going to make any judgments because it's clear no one really knows what actually went on. I hope that this little girl was not in a tanning booth. However, I also hope that the mother stops tanning as soon as possible; she's way too dark! This is tanning to the extreme. In addition, even if she didn't put her child in danger, she is setting a poor example for her.

[jenkait]

04:34 PM on 05/04/2012

I've seen a few pics of the mom now, and her skin looks different, from orange-ish to this brown color. It doesn't look real to me...it looks like paint or something. (though why she'd go on TV with a painted face, I have no idea).

As for the kid, I don't know if she was in the booth or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if tanning comes up a lot when she talks about her mom...just a thought.

[flensingknife]

01:32 PM on 05/04/2012

And people actually think Huffington Post is somehow better than Faux News? This story proves otherwise.