The Pennsylvania woman was allegedly running errands when her son was found on the roof, according to police
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NEED TO KNOW
- Amanda Rivera of Blairsville, Penn., was arrested on Sunday, March 15, and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children after her son was allegedly found on the roof of her home
- The child was “trying to hang on the power lines,” police said, per CBS Pittsburgh
- Rivera, who was said to be “running errands” during the incident, is awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 15
A Pennsylvania mom was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children after her son was allegedly found on the roof of her home after "trying to hang on the power lines."
Amanda Rivera of Blairsville, Penn., was arrested on Sunday, March 15, and charged the next day, according to the court docket obtained by PEOPLE. She is currently awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 15 with Magisterial District Judge Robert Steele Bell Sr. in an Indiana County court."
A neighbor allegedly told police they saw the child, a young boy, climb out of a window and onto the tall roof during what police called "extremely high winds," putting him in greater danger of falling off the 20-foot-high roof, per CBS Pittsburgh. The neighbor called 911, and neither child was hurt, the outlet reports, citing police.
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By the time police arrived at Rivera's residence, the boy, whose identity has not been publicly released, was back inside the residence, according to local outlet WTAE, citing police sources.
"The [neighbor] advised she took a video of a 7 or 8 year old boy on the roof," police wrote in paperwork, according to CBS Pittsburg. "[The witness] stated that the boy was trying to hang on the power lines attached to the house."
Rivera, 38, claimed to police that the family was packing and preparing to move out and that she was "running errands" and spending "time at the new house." The children are 15 and 8, CBS Pittsburgh reports, citing police.
"I feel for the mother," Anna Zadecky, a Blairsville resident, told the outlet. "I'm sure she was trying her best to move and do everything she needed to do. However, when you have children, you're responsible. Accidents happen, but that's completely unacceptable."
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"I think too many people are not paying attention anymore," Zadecky added, per the outlet. "They don't realize that one little thing could happen so quick, and it changes all their lives forever."
PEOPLE has reached out to the Blairsville Police Department for comment.
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