New Jersey Crime News: Man Charged after 2-year-old boy allegedly overdosed on cocaine during vacation

A New Jersey man, identified as Alexander T. Moles is facing charges of child endangerment and possession of cocaine after a 2‑year‑old boy allegedly ingested the drug while in his care. The case emerged after Moles rushed the toddler to a hospital in North Wildwood on Monday, July 20, when the child began struggling to breathe, according to the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office.

Soon after, officials from the North Wildwood Fire Department were called to Moles’ vehicle, which had stopped at the intersection of 21st Street and New Jersey Avenue, following reports of a sick child.

“EMS administered two doses of Naloxone nasal spray (NARCAN), to which the child responded to, and transported the two-year-old to Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional for further medical attention,” the prosecutor’s office said. “Preliminary blood tests of the two-year-old male were also positive for cocaine,” the office added.


Later, during the investigation, investigators learned that Moles, 39, was vacationing at a home in Wildwood, located on the Jersey Shore, at the time of the incident.

What did court documents reveal?

Court documents obtained by New Jersey 101.5 state that Alexander T. Moles had been staying at an Airbnb with a woman and other children and was responsible for watching them while the woman took a shower. When she returned, she noticed the two‑year‑old was “sleepy,” according to the outlet. Moles later called her while driving to the hospital and said the child was falling asleep, prompting her to dial 911. Investigators reported that Moles told them he believed the boy had taken “painkillers.”



Investigators later searched Moles’ room, where they reportedly uncovered fragments of a pill, multiple tinfoil packets marked “tapentadol hydrochloride,” a prescription narcotic pain medication, and a clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance, according to New Jersey 101.5.

What were the charges against Moles?

Following the initial investigation, jointly initiated by the Wildwood Police Department and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, it was determined that during the vacation the two-year-old male became ill, and as a result of the initial investigation, on July 21, 2026, he was arrested.

Charges against him include one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a crime of the second degree; one count of possession of cocaine, a crime of the third degree; one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a disorderly persons offense; and one count of possession of prescription legend drugs, a crime of the fourth degree.

Moles was processed on the above-listed charges and lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility. On July 24, 2026, Alexander T. Moles was released at his detention hearing with conditions.

Prosecutor Sutherland advises that persons convicted of a second-degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of 5 to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. A person convicted of a third-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of 3 to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison.

Moles was later arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of prescription legend drugs, the prosecutor’s office said. He also faces a disorderly persons offense. He was taken to the Cape May Correctional Facility and was released following his detention hearing with conditions on July 24, officials said. The investigation remains ongoing.