Baltimore man charged after his 1-year-old son dies in hot car

One summer morning, Yaakov Reichman dropped off his wife at work, then his two kids at daycare. Then he drove to his local synagogue, where he stayed for five hours for religious study.

It was only when he picked up his wife that they realized their one-year-old son, whom Reichman was supposed to drop off at daycare, had been in the family van since morning. Paramedics pronounced the child dead at the scene.

Reichman, 32, now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and neglect of a minor, according to court documents. He turned himself in to police on Monday.

On July 16, Baltimore Police officers responded to the 6200 block of Greenspring Avenue in Cheswolde for a report of an unconscious child. Emergency medical service personnel attempted lifesaving measures, but the child was pronounced dead, police said.

Reichman later told police he went to his local synagogue for morning prayer around 7 a.m. and returned home around 8:30 a.m. After breakfast, Reichman dropped off his wife at work on Greenspring Avenue before taking two of the couple’s children, ages 2 and 3, according to charging documents.

The Baltimore man was then supposed to take David, his 1-year-old son, to daycare but forgot and instead returned to his synagogue for religious study, according to charging documents. He was there for roughly five hours as temperatures in the van, which was sitting in the sun, reached an estimated 150 degrees, according to the documents.

Reichman returned to pick up his wife on Greenspring Avenue, and she discovered their unresponsive son in his rear-facing car seat, police said in charging documents.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined on July 30 that the cause of death was hyperthermia, or heat exposure.

Reichman’s attorney, Ari Casper, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates declined to comment on the case, which is pending in Baltimore District Court. Speaking generally, however, Bates said he supports prosecuting parents who leave a child to die in a hot car, even if it’s a terrible accident. Bates speaks often about holding parents accountable.

“As prosecutors, we have to consider and remember the victim,” he said. “It would be my job as the state’s attorney to pursue the case on behalf of that child. Even though the child cannot speak for themselves, they still have a right to hold somebody accountable.”

Bates said the place to weigh mercy for a grieving parent would be at sentencing, and he supports measures such as home detention, parenting classes, community service and expungement in such instances.

More than three dozen children died in hot cars last year, including two in Maryland, according to the nonprofit Kids and Car Safety. In May 2025, a 2-year-old girl died after being in a parked car in the Wheaton-Glenmont area for hours. Two months later, a 6-month-old died after being left in a vehicle in Belcamp.

There have been 55 heat-related deaths in Maryland so far this year, including more than 40 during multiple heat waves in July, according to the state Department of Health.

Reichman was released on bond. He has a preliminary court hearing scheduled for Sept. 23.

Banner reporter Tim Prudente contributed to this article.