'You Cannot Make This Up,' Miami Judge Says as South Florida Mom Is Released After Leaving Kids Alone at Home for Cruise Vacation

“You cannot make this up,” Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer said at the bond hearing for Nathalie Belizaire.

The 29-year-old mother from North Miami Beach allegedly left her four children, one of them just 2 months old, home unattended for three days so she could take a cruise.

Belizaire posted bond and was released from jail on Tuesday, September 29, hours after the hearing, according to a publication.

Glazer was visibly shocked while reviewing the accusations in court.

“It says she went on a cruise and left her children home alone,” she said. “These poor kids were home alone for three days? I guess there’s probable cause for child neglect. We’re just grateful nothing else happened to these kids.”

Belizaire’s public defender informed the judge that Belizaire denied the allegations, and Glazer replied, “Of course she does.” The judge appeared to be particularly disturbed by the age of the youngest child.

"The baby was born in July of this year. Who leaves a baby alone like that?” she asked.

North Miami Beach police stated that Belizaire was supposed to drop the children off at their grandmother’s house before she took her three-day cruise, but allegedly never did. The father of the 2-month-old child said he viewed a post on Belizaire’s WhatsApp story on Thursday, September 24, “depicting what appeared to be a cruise ticket purchase,” according to North Miami Beach police.

The father said he had been informed that the children would be cared for while Belizaire was on vacation. Two days later, however, he became alarmed that no adults were caring for the children. He said he went to their residence, found them alone, and contacted 911.

The North Miami Beach Police Department then entered the apartment by force and located all four children in the same bathroom, unattended. Body-camera footage shows a 2-year-old, a preteen, and a teenager carrying the 2-month-old infant as they exited the building, according to a publication.

Belizaire boarded the Carnival Conquest to take a three-day weekend cruise to the Bahamas, according to NBC News. The mother was arrested by police upon leaving the ship at PortMiami on Monday, September 28, and she's now charged with four felony counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.

At the hearing, the public defender asked Glazer to allow Belizaire to participate in pretrial services and to consider an alternate bond. The public defender emphasized that the allegations made against Belizaire have not yet been proven.

"She denies the allegation,” the public defender stated, and Glazer replied, “They arrested her disembarking the cruise ship.”

Glazer set bond at $2,500 per charge and ordered Belizaire to have no direct or indirect contact with the children. She also ordered that Belizaire could not possess firearms, weapons, or ammunition, and Belizaire wiped away tears during the hearing.

“Good luck to you, madam,” Glazer said after announcing the terms.

Belizaire posted bond and left the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center before 9 p.m., and after walking outside, she covered her face because she saw cameras waiting. The Florida Department of Children and Families is expected to investigate the case.