A newborn was lit on fire in the middle of a road in New Jersey on Friday and died the next day, USA Today reported.
The child was put out by the fire department quickly after they were called to the scene roughly 30 miles east of Philadelphia around 11 p.m.
The newborn was horribly burned, but it was alive when emergency crews first arrived. The baby was taken to Temple Univeristy Hospital's burn unit in critical condition, but it was transferred to another center in Philadelphia. The child later died at the hospital there on Saturday morning.
Dave Joseph, 45, a neighbor, said he witnessed the grizzly act. Joseph said he saw a young woman light the child on fire after getting out of a car, telling onlookers that she was burning dog excrement.
"Her demeanor was calm. She knew what she was doing," he said.
When Joseph's wife noticed what was really going on, she began to scream. Other neighbors stopped the woman when she attempted to flee the scene, according to the Burlington County Times.
"It was just mind-boggling. It was a nightmare even if you have a strong heart," he said. "Hopefully she'll pay for it."
The woman was arrested after being taken to Deborah Heart and Lung Center. It's not yet known whether she was the child's mother. The sex and age of the baby was also not released.
