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Tanorexic NJ Mom Accused Of Taking 6-Yr-Old Daughter Tanning
By
Jen Chung
Published May 2, 2012
Modified May 2, 2012
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WCBS 2
By
Jen Chung
Published May 2, 2012
Modified May 2, 2012
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Patricia Krentcil admits that she might be addicted to tanning, but denies that she allowed her 5-year-old daughter to tan at a local tanning salon. But Nutley, NJ police arrested her for child endangerment because a school nurse found little Anna with a severe sunburn—and Anna said "I went tanning with Mommy."
Krentcil, 44, says that her daughter got burned from playing outside and clarified that the fair-skinned child does go to the salon but doesn't actually tan on the tanning bed: "She’s 6 years old. Yes, she does go tanning with mommy, but not in the booth." GET IT? Further, she told NBC New York, "It's like taking your daughter to go food shopping. There's tons of moms that bring their children in."
The frustrated mother, who was released on $25,000 bail, said she's been going to the tanning salon for 10 years and never before have her visits been called into question, "My daughter's a beautiful girl who loves school, who had to go through this, and I think it's traumatizing for a little girl who did nothing wrong but got a little sunburned." And she admitted, "I’ve been tanning my whole life, going to the beach, tanning salons and so forth."
View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.
In NJ, children under 14 are not allowed to use tanning beds/booths. For children between the ages of 14 and 17, they may do so with written parental consent. The Bergen Record also reports that the "Camden County Sheriff's Department wanted Krentcil on unrelated charges."
Update: The tanning salon owner thinks that Krentcil has been using self-tanner.
Tagged
child endangerment
nutley
patricia krentcil
tan
tanning
tanning bed
tanning salon
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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