Somerset County mom charged after baby suffers head injuries

🍼 NJ mother accused of hurting 5-month-old daughter found in hotel
🚔 Franklin Township police say baby suffered skull fractures, brain bleeds
📜 History of drug use, prior arrests follows Somerset County mom

FRANKLIN (Somerset) — A 38-year-old mother has been accused of badly hurting her own newborn daughter, who remains hospitalized.

Pamela Janiszak, of Somerset, was arrested last week after an incident earlier this month.

As of Thursday, the five-month-old baby remains hospitalized in the pediatric unit at an undisclosed hospital.

NJ baby found with skull fractures and brain bleeding

At 12:25 a.m. on Sept. 6, township police responded to a hotel on Cedar Grove Lane for a report of an infant with head trauma.

Officers found a drowsy five-month-old baby girl with a large bruise to the back of her head.

Janiszak was lying unconscious on a bed in the same hotel room and was also brought to a local hospital.

Medical professionals said that the baby had suffered multiple skull fractures, swelling, and brain bleeding.

A former police officer and teacher charged in the death of their infant daughter have reached an agreement with Mercer County prosecutors that avoids any time in prison.

Police say mother responsible for newborn’s injuries

Detectives from Franklin Township Police and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office that Janiszak was responsible for the newborn’s injuries.

On Sept. 16, Janiszak was arrested in Toms River and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

NJ mom has prior arrests, including drug possession

Her criminal record includes a June 2020 arrest in which she was accused of credit card theft, but charges were dismissed in a plea bargain.

In 2021 and 2022, Janiszak spent several months in jail and ultimately was sentenced to five years probation, after being arrested for heroin possession and resisting arrest.

As of Thursday, she was being held at Somerset County Jail, pending a court hearing.

Anyone with information relating to this incident was urged to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at 732-873-5533 or via the STOPit app.

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