VINELAND, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Five New Jersey daycare workers were charged with child endangerment and neglect after they allegedly forced fed and used aggressive restraints on the children in their care.
The charges stem from alleged incidents in August allegedly captured on video cameras at the now-shuttered Vineland Infant-Toddler Center in Cumberland County, according to court documents reviewed by NJ.com.
The abuse was reportedly uncovered when a parent picked up her son from the facility and saw bruises on her son’s arm. She brought the child to a hospital, and the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency opened an institutional abuse investigation, documents said.
According to their affidavits, footage obtained in one classroom showed Marcia A. Green, 48, of Fairfield Township, and Allison L. Willis, 28, of Shiloh, committing "numerous assaults, force feedings and aggressive restraining of the children."
Cecilia A. Ruiz-Perez, 27, of Bridgeton, is accused of repeatedly restraining a child's arms, grabbing and tugging on their arms, and shoving and kicking the child’s chair underneath a table.
Another employee, Emmaliz Torres, 20, of Millville, was seen, according to her affidavit, repeatedly "grabbing and contorting" a child's hands and fingers as well as smacking, grabbing and squeezing children's hands and fingers, "back handing" a child in the head, and "restraining" a child’s head or hands "to force feed him."
Martha R. Gil, 39, of Vineland, was allegedly caught on camera slapping a child in the head and shoving a child's head toward the floor. She was also allegedly caught on camera grabbing and twisting children's fingers.
Each has been accused of a number of offenses, including endangering the welfare of a child and cruelty and neglect of children.
They have been released on summonses and are due back in court in November.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the case is asked to contact prosecutor’s office Detective Ashley Cornwall at 856-453-0486, ext. 13372.
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