An Indiana County woman is facing child endangerment charges after police said she left her children alone at home while she ran errands.

Officers responded to 38-year-old Amanda Rivera’s home on March 15 after neighbors called 911 to report a child was on the roof.

“The [neighbor] advised she took a video of a 7 or 8 year old boy on the roof. [The witness] stated that the boy was trying to hang on the power lines attached to the house,” according to police paperwork.

Neighbors shared the video with KDKA-TV. It shows the child moments after he crawled out the window and walked across the roof. They said they immediately called 911. 

“That’s scary,” said Blanche Miller, who lives in Indiana County.  

Police said there’s approximately a 20-foot drop from the roof to the ground, and on the day it happened, there were “extremely high winds,” putting the child at an even greater risk.

During an interview with police, Rivera allegedly told officers she’s in the process of moving out and had been in and out of the home all day and at their new house. According to police paperwork, officers said the children, 15 and 8, wouldn’t let them inside when they arrived, but talked to police through the door and told them the windows and doors were locked from the inside.

“The [15-year-old] stated that the WiFi was off in the house and he couldn’t make calls on his phone and didn’t have any way to contact someone,” police stated in paperwork.

Police said neither child had a key to open any doors.

“That’s even worse because they’re not going to know what to do to get out. They’re going to be scared,” Miller said.

“I feel for the mother. I’m sure she was trying her best to move and do everything she needed to do. However, when you have children, you’re responsible. Accidents happen, but that’s completely unacceptable,” said Anna Zadecky, a Blairsville resident.

According to police paperwork, Rivera told police that her 8-year-old son is autistic and her older son often babysits. She also allegedly told officers that her younger son had gone out of windows in the past at school and at home.

Neighbors reported to police that the children appeared to be home alone for at least 90 minutes. Police said Rivera told officers she had been gone for 45 minutes.

“I think too many people are not paying attention anymore. They don’t realize that one little thing could happen so quick, and it changes all their lives forever,” Zadecky said.

Police said neither child was hurt during the incident, and Child & Youth Services was notified. Rivera now faces two counts of endangering the welfare of children.

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