Jeremiah Campbell was indicted on charges of attempted murder, child endangerment and violating a protective order after he reportedly tried to drown his 2-year-old son as a “sacrifice to Jehovah” at a Chicago apartment. (Mugshot via Cook County Jail, Screengrab via YouTube/WGN)
A dad is behind bars after Chicago police say he tried to drown his son as a “sacrifice for Jehovah,” according to media reports.
A Lyft driver heard the father make concerning statements during the ride and called 911 after dropping the father — later identified as Jeremiah Campbell — and his son off at an apartment complex. The police report obtained by local news website CWBChicago said Campbell allegedly was talking about drowning his son as a “sacrifice to Jehovah” and other conspiracies. Dispatchers received a call around the same time from someone at the same location saying his 2-year-old son had drowned.
Chicago police officers responded to the location and knocked on the door but no one answered. They looked inside a window and saw a man bending over the bathtub and making suspicious movements. Believing there was a drowning in progress, officers forced their way inside the home. With the cops inside, Campbell took the boy out of the bathtub. Officers could hear the boy coughing and saw him “coughing up water,” the report said.
The boy was rushed to the hospital where his updated condition was not released.
“They brought the child out and he was just drenched and coughing,” a witness told local Chicago news station WGN. “The thought that ran through my head; I just saw my grandson. It was just awful.”
Campbell was indicted Thursday on charges of attempted murder, child endangerment and violating a protective order, the Cook County State Attorney’s Office told Law&Crime in an email. He was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation and is now at the Cook County Jail without bond. CWBChicago reported the protection order barred him from being with the boy. He has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21, the state attorney’s office said.
In a statement to Law&Crime, a Lyft spokesperson praised the actions of the driver.
“We applaud the quick thinking and courage of the Lyft driver who reported the suspicious rider behavior to the authorities,” the statement said. “This act of responsibility helped lead to the rescue of a child from immediate danger. The rider’s account has been permanently removed from the Lyft platform, and we stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
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