A Florence Township mother was charged with the attempted murder of her three teenage children after she drove them into the Delaware River Tuesday night.
FLORENCE – A Florence Township mother was charged with the attempted murder of her three teenage children after she drove them into the Delaware River Tuesday night, authorities said.
Joann Smith, 49, was driving on West Front Street in the township around 6:30 p.m. when she navigated onto a boat ramp and accelerated into the river, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.
A man in the area helped Smith and her three children, ages 13, 14 and 15, two boys and a girl, escape from the vehicle that was partially submerged, the office said.
One of the children suffered a leg cut, the office said, but no other injuries were disclosed.
The children are staying with relatives, said Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
Smith was charged with three counts each of attempted murder and endangering the welfare of a child. She is being evaluated in a medical facility, and bail was set at $600,000, the office said. Smith is expected to appear in state Superior Court in Mount Holly Thursday afternoon.
The prosecutor’s office and Florence Township Police continue to investigate the incident.
CONNECT WITH US:
On mobile or desktop:
• Like Times of Trenton on Facebook
• Follow @TimesofTrenton on Twitter