An Albuquerque father, 27-year-old Stephan Natseway, was arrested after security found his 20-month-old twin sons locked in a car and sweating outside the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon. Officers say the boys were left for about two and a half hours; they were lethargic but breathing after being removed. Natseway faces multiple child-abuse and abandonment charges, and investigators say the incident also raised abduction concerns.
Albuquerque Father Arrested After Leaving 20-Month-Old Twin Boys in Locked, Sweating Car While He Went Dancing
Image Credit: Metropolitan Detention Center.
An Albuquerque father is facing multiple charges after police say he left his 20-month-old twin sons locked inside a hot vehicle while he went into a nearby nightclub to dance.
According to a probable cause affidavit and local reports, 27-year-old Stephan Natseway admitted he knew the children were in the car but entered the Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon anyway. Security guards discovered the boys around 1:34 a.m., reporting that the children were sweating and unresponsive; by that time security personnel had already broken the driver-side window to reach them.
Natseway told investigators he tried to find a family member to watch the twins but decided he "wanted time for himself." He later offered the explanation — captured in the affidavit — that he stayed because "people were dancing with him." Body-camera footage from officers showed the children were drenched in sweat, lethargic and initially appeared unconscious; both were breathing and regained consciousness after being removed from the vehicle. Officers also reported the toddlers had soiled themselves. The boys had been buckled into car seats, but the seats were not properly secured to the vehicle and the windows were rolled up.
Image Credit: Google Maps
There are small discrepancies in the timeline: Natseway said he arrived at the club around 10:30 p.m., while nightclub records show an ID scan at 10:54 p.m. Police were called at approximately 1:33–1:34 a.m., indicating the twins were left unattended for roughly two and a half hours.
Natseway was arrested and booked on August 29; Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center records list booking number 26-17760 and APD case T4FR202608308, with the arrest location recorded as 9800 Montgomery Boulevard NE (outside Dirty Bourbon). Charges listed in detention and court records include multiple counts of child abuse and child abandonment not resulting in great bodily harm, as well as abuse or endangerment of a child's life or health. A preventative detention case was later added; updated jail records show a $0 bail amount for that case and a release type of "ROR—Rlse on Recognizance" with a September 2 release date, superseding earlier reports that he was being held without bond.
Another man, identified as Orry Morris, was briefly arrested after police alleged he knew the children were in the vehicle; prosecutors later dropped Morris's charges while the investigation continued. Prosecutors say Natseway's actions endangered the children by leaving toddlers who cannot care for themselves inside a hot car and created an opportunity for potential abduction. During his interaction with officers, body-camera footage captured Natseway asking whether he was going to jail rather than asking about his sons' welfare, an exchange Albuquerque Police Department spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos cited when describing the father's apparent priorities.
Investigation Ongoing
The case is under investigation and prosecution decisions and court proceedings may change as new information emerges. The children were evaluated after being removed from the vehicle; media reports indicate they were breathing and regained consciousness but had been lethargic and heavily perspiring while inside the car.
Direct Quote From Affidavit: "People were dancing with him," Natseway reportedly told police when asked why he remained in the club despite knowing the twins were in the vehicle.
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