Mom rescued infant tumbling in clothes dryer, New Hampshire cops say. Dad is arrested

A New Hampshire dad is accused of putting his infant daughter in the family’s clothes dryer and sending her spinning.

The incident happened Sept. 8, but wasn’t reported until Sunday, according to the Manchester Police Department.

Investigators say a Sept. 12 domestic dispute call is what brought police officers to the family’s home on Manchester’s west side.

“Through their investigation, officers learned that a man and woman had been arguing, but it did not appear that the incident got physical,” police said in a release.

“However, the woman did divulge to officers that the previous week ... 34-year-old Michael Higgins had put their infant daughter into the clothes dryer and turned it on.”

The child’s mother told police she “was able to quickly intervene.” The baby was pulled from the dryer and appeared uninjured, the mother told police.

The incident was “frightening” for the 4-month-old girl and “traumatic for the mother who witnessed the whole thing,” police told TV station WHDH.

Investigators did not released details about the dryer, but “on average, most dryers can get around 125 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit,” according to Home Warranty of America. The speed can vary from 600 revolutions per minute to 1,400, Appliancesonline.com reports.

Michael Higgins is facing charges that include “reckless conduct, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal threatening,” officials said.

The report has prompted outrage on social media, including questions as to why police were not notified about the alleged incident for four days.

Manchester is located about 18 miles southeast of Concord.

This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Mom rescued infant tumbling in clothes dryer, New Hampshire cops say. Dad is arrested."