A 4-year-old girl spent about eight hours in her family’s van in a Milwaukee city tow lot on a below-freezing night after her mother was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.
A tow lot operator heard the girl crying about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The girl appeared OK but was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Milwaukee city engineer Jeff Polenske said police pulled the girl’s mother over around midnight. A 10-month-old baby was taken out of the van but the mother apparently didn’t mention the girl.
Stay connected to Wisconsin news — your way
Get trustworthy reporting and unique local stories from WPR delivered directly to your inbox.
The van was placed on a flatbed truck and taken to the tow lot. Polenske said all vehicles at the lot are supposed to be inspected.
A spokeswoman for Milwaukee police told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she was still gathering information about the incident.
© Copyright 2025 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
