New Jersey Mom Arrested for Letting Five-Year Old Daughter Use Tanning Bed

By Emily Gyben 05/02/12 at 12:00 PM

Photo: Getty Images

New Jersey law states that children under age 14 aren’t allowed to use tanning beds.

Toddlers and Tiaras moms may catch a lot of flak for spray tanning the heck out of their little girls, but one New Jersey mother is currently under fire for taking the tanning trend a step to far.

Patricia Krentcil was arrested and charged with second-degree child endangerment for allegedly allowing her five-year-old daughter, Anna, to use a tanning bed, Good Morning America reports. Anna’s school nurse noticed that the little girl had a rash, and when she told her it was from going tanning with her mother, the school notified child services.

Krentcil, for her part, acknowledges the burn but denies that Anna hit the tanning bed with her. “It was that only weekend we were out doing the gardening,” she said. "I never once in my life let my daughter, especially at that age, go into a tanning booth."

According to ABC, Anna was snuck into the booth by her mother, so the tanning salon is not facing any charges. By New Jersey law, children under age 14 aren’t allowed to use tanning beds, and teens over 14 are only allowed with parental consent.

The investigation is ongoing, and Krentcil is currently out on $25,000 bail, with Anna in her father’s custody.