Cops: Mom Left 5-Year-Old Alone In Mohegan Sun Casino Hotel While She Went To Gamble

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A New York City mother took a gamble and lost, big time.

She was behind bars Thursday and charged with leaving her 5-year-old son alone in a Mohegan Sun hotel room, reports CBS 2's Kathryn Brown.

Police say Wu Xiao Xu took her gambling to the extreme -- when she bet she could leave her son alone in their hotel room and get away with it.

Her luck ran out when the little boy woke up from a nap to find himself all alone on the 30th floor and picked up the telephone and called 9-1-1.

Operators talked to the confused little boy and tried to reassure him.

Operator: "Is there anybody there with you?"

Boy: "No."

Operator: "Are you okay?"

Boy: "Yeah, I'm watching TV."

But once the operator figured out what was going on -- you can hear the anger in her voice as she'd talking to people in the background.

"There's a kid alone up there. The kid sounds little," the operator said.

Police say Xu had left the hotel room to gamble, and left her cell phone number on the nightstand -- with instructions not to open the door for anyone.

But the little boy told 9-1-1 operators he couldn't read the note.

Operator: "Does she usually leave you in the room by yourself?"

Boy: "Yeah."

Xu was arrested and charged with risk of injury to a minor. According to prosecutors, she told them she "felt that there was nothing wrong with what she had done."

But other parents were outraged.

"She brought it on herself. There are plenty of places at the casino if you want to gamble. You bring your kids there and they'll watch 'em," Carolyn Woodsen said.

"It's sad. It's sad that kids have to be put through stuff like that," Chris Rossi added.

Federal Immigration officials said Xu is in the country illegally. For now, she is behind bars and her son is in protective custody.

Police said there is an outstanding warrant for Xu's arrest in North Carolina for possession of counterfeit handbags and shoes.

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