TRENTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A New Jersey woman is in custody after a disturbing video was posted on social media showing her pushing an 8-week-old baby’s head and possibly blocking the infant’s airway, police said.
Multiple people saw the disturbing clip online and called Trenton police, the department said on Wednesday.
Vivian Harrell, 37, is the person in the video seen covering the baby’s face, investigators said. In the video, she also uses “vulgar and derogatory language” toward the child.
Police are not disclosing the relationship between Harrell and the infant to protect the child’s identity. Special Victims Unit investigators with the Trenton Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office got involved, and police took Harrell into custody on Wednesday.
Harrell was charged with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Authorities said the baby did not need medical attention. The New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency is assisting in this case.