Atlantic City Mayor & Wife Charged Child Endangerment & More

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has criminally charged Atlantic City, New Jersey Mayor Marty Small and his wife, the Atlantic City Public Schools Superintendent, La’Quetta Small.

The criminal charges are beyond disturbing in nature.

Here are the criminal charges that were filed today:

MARTY SMALL

• 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child.
• 3rd degree aggravated assault
• 3rd degree terroristic threats
• disorderly persons simple assault.

LA’QUETTA SMALL

• 2nd degree endangering the welfare of a child.
• 3 separate counts of disorderly persons simple assault.

The criminal charges were placed on summonses for both of The Small defendants.

This is exactly what the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is alleging and the allegations are deeply troubling and graphic.

It is alleged that during the months of December 2023 and January 2024, the defendants physically and emotionally abused their 15/16-year-old-daughter on multiple occasions. During one incident, Marty Small, Sr. is alleged to have hit his daughter multiple times in the head with a broom causing her to lose consciousness. Another incident alleged that Marty Small, Sr., during an argument with his daughter, continuously threatened  to hurt her by “earth slamming” her down the stairs, grabbing her head  and throwing her to the ground, and smacking the weave out of her head. Another incident involved Marty Small, Sr. punching his daughter repeatedly in her legs causing bruising.

It is alleged that La'Quetta Small, during one incident, punched her daughter multiple times on her chest leaving bruising. Another incident alleged that La Quetta Small dragged her daughter by her hair then struck her with a belt on her shoulders leaving marks. Another incident alleged that La'Quetta Small punched her daughter in the mouth during an argument, said the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

These incidents were investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office's Special Victims Unit.

The criminal charges of Marty and La’Quetta Small follow those of Constance Days-Chapman, the Atlantic City High School Principal, who the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has charged with:

• second-degree Official Misconduct.
• third-degree Hindering Apprehension of
  Another.
• fourth-degree Obstruction of Justice.
• disorderly persons Failure to Report Child Abuse.

This is how the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office detailed the Days-Chapman criminal charges:

On January 22, 2024, a juvenile student at the high school informed a school staff member that the student had been emotionally and physically abused by the student's parents and that the student had previously disclosed this abuse to Mrs. Days-Chapman. The school staff member discussed the matter with Days-Chapman later that same day. Days-Chapman denied that the student ever disclosed the abuse to her previously but told the school staffer that she would report the matter to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P, formerly known as DYFS). Both the staffer and another eyewitness to the conversation believed that Days-Chapman was going to notify the authorities as they were leaving her office. The other eyewitness even told Days-Chapman that she (the eyewitness) would notify DCP&P, but that Days-Chapman insisted that she would make the notification. Later that evening, Days-Chapman met with the juvenile's parents at the parents' house and informed them that the juvenile disclosed to school staff that the juvenile was being abused by them. DCP&P confirmed that there was no disclosure reported to them regarding the abuse of the juvenile from Days-Chapman or any other member of the staff from Atlantic City High School.

Days-Chapman is currently suspended. The Board of Education has not publicly revealed if it is with or without pay,

The employment status of La’Quetta Small will have to still be determined.

Both cases have been investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office's Special Victims Unit and the Professional Standards and Accountability Unit.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is asking that anyone with information about this incident or other serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor's Office's Website at

ACPO. Tips and provide information by filling out a form anonymously.

Any concerned person can report suspicions of child abuse or neglect by calling their local police department or call the Child Abuse Hotline at (877) NJ-ABUSE / (877) 652-2873 / TTY: (800) 835-5510. Crime Stoppers: People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.

NOTE: As deeply disturbing as these monstrous criminal allegations are, “the charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

SOURCE: Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.