A 21-year-old day care worker is accused of trying to kill a 1-year-old under her care at a Camden County, New Jersey, facility. Video captured the alleged physical assault.
Maggie Fruit was charged last week with attempted murder and child endangerment for the alleged attack that took place Thursday at the Forever Young Child Care Learning Center, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said.
Police were called to the day care on Chews Landing Road in Lindenwold that afternoon after getting a 911 call about a child being abused, investigators said.
Once at the center, officers viewed surveillance video of the incident and spoke to witnesses who said they managed to get the child out of Fruit's care, the prosecutor's office said.
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The child was examined at a hospital and released.
Fruit, who had worked at the day care for the past two months, was also accused of another attack on a child.
"Further investigation and review of video surveillance revealed Fruit being physically abusive to another 1-year-old child assigned to the same classroom approximately 30 minutes before the original incident," prosecutors said in a news release.
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That second child's parents were notified of the incident, which didn't leave that child in need of medical care. Fruit was charged with another count of child endangerment for the second incident.
Fruit was being held in county jail awaiting a detention hearing. It is unclear if Fruit has an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
A person who answered the phone at the day care Tuesday said they have "no comment."
The child care center has no complaints listed on the state's Department of Children and Families Office of Licensing website. The facility passed a reopening assessment in August 2020.
