A Passaic woman was recently arrested on charges of marijuana possession and child endangerment.

According to law enforcement, the 21-year-old suspect was caught smoking marijuana in Third Ward Park in Passaic, New Jersey. Passaic police officers were on patrol in the area when they reportedly saw five individuals smoking marijuana. The incident reportedly occurred around 8:40 p.m.

The woman was placed under arrest and charged with simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Additionally, the suspect faces charges for endangering the welfare of a child because her infant daughter was allegedly sitting in the suspect’s vehicle at the time of the arrest. According to officials, the young child was sitting in an unheated car. After the incident, police transported the child to a nearby hospital so that she could be evaluated for exposure to the cold weather.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the most serious charges of child endangerment, she faces severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4, anyone who has a legal responsibility to care for a child and puts the child in a harmful situation is typically charged with a third degree felony. A conviction could result in a sentence of 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.

The suspect in this case gained some notoriety for recently posting a cellphone video of a Passaic police officer threatening Latinos with deportation. After the video was posted online, it reportedly sparked a number of protects across the city.

To learn more about this case, read the NorthJersey.com article entitled “Woman at Center of Passaic Police Protests Arrested on Drug, Child Endangerment Charges.”