A New Jersey mother was arrested after police said she brought her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning booth, causing the girl to suffer burns.
Tanning booth dilemma
However, 44-year-old Patricia Krentcil, who was charged with second-degree child endangerment, said her daughter was never exposed to the tanning booth’s UV rays but instead got slightly sunburned while playing outside on a warm day.
The girl’s father told NBC 4 New York his daughter told classmates at school that she “went tanning with Mommy.” He thinks a teacher overheard, inaccurately connected the girl’s sunburn to the tanning salon trip and contacted police.
“This whole big thing happened, and everyone got involved,” said Rich Krentcil. “It was 85 degrees outside, she got sunburned. That’s it. That’s all that happened.”
Krentcil said to NBC News that she treats her runs to the tanning booth as errands, and sometimes brings her daughter along. But insists her daughter goes playing in another room while she tans.
“It’s like taking your daughter to go food shopping,” she told NBC 4 New York at her Nutley, N.J. home after being released on $25,000 bail. “There’s tons of moms that bring their children in.”
“I tan, she doesn’t tan,” she continued. “I’m in the booth, she’s in the room. That’s all there is to it.”
The incident happened last week, but there wasn’t any visible signs of burns on the child on Tuesday.
In New Jersey, children under 14 are not allowed to tan at indoor salons, while those 14 to 17 years old may do so with signed parental consent.
“My daughter’s a beautiful girl who loves school, who had to go through this, and I think it’s traumatizing for a little girl who did nothing wrong but got a little sunburned,” Krentcil said.
At first I honestly thought this woman was in a black face, and this was a horrible “joke”. Then I realized, this woman has a horrible tan! Considering the way she looks, I can see why people are having a hard time believing her.
