Man Arrested After His Two Toddlers Are Found Outside By Themselves

A Naugatuck man was arrested after his two toddlers were found "wet and shivering" on North Main Street while wearing only their pajamas in freezing weather Tuesday morning, police said.

Joseph Markey, 26, of 214 North Main St., was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child, a felony, after police received a complaint from someone who saw them on North Main Street at 11:31 a.m., police said.

The children had red hands and faces from the cold; the temperature at the time was about 32 degrees Fahrenheit and it was snowing, according to the National Weather Service.

Emergency medical responders brought the children to a local hospital for evaluation; the children were OK, according to a police report. The children were released from the hospital to their mother. Police have reported the incident to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. 

Naugatuck Police Officer Michael Favale said it appears that Markey fell asleep while he was supposed to be watching his children. The door to the house was ajar and unlocked when police arrived, police said. Police are not sure whether the door was originally locked and the children unlocked it. 

Markey, who does not have an arrest history in Connecticut, was scheduled to be arraigned at Waterbury Superior Court on Tuesday. He was released on a $5,000 bond.