South Jersey Daycare Worker Charged With Attempted Murder of 1-year-old
Authorities say a 21-year-old daycare center worker from Camden County has been charged with attempted murder of a 1-year-old child.
Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer and Lindenwold Police Chief Michael McCarthy say Maggie Fruit of Somerdale was charged Thursday with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for physically assaulting the infant at a daycare center in the 600 block of Chews Landing Road in Lindenwold.
"At approximately 1:41 p.m. [Thursday], Camden County Central Communications received a 9-1-1 call in reference to a child being abused at the daycare center. When officers from the Lindenwold Police Department arrived at the scene, they were shown video surveillance that captured the incident. Additionally, officers interviewed witnesses who observed the incident, and were able to remove the child from Fruit, who has been an employee at the center for the past two months. The child was transported to a local hospital for examination and released."
The charge of endangering the welfare of a child stems from an investigation that also revealed that Fruit was physically abusive to another 1-year-old child that was in the same room about a half-hour before the original incident. Police say that child did not require a medical examination.
Fruit was charged and is currently being held in the Camden County Jail as she awaits a pre-trial detention hearing.
Anyone with additional information about these incidents is asked to call Detective Jovan Plaza with the Camden County Prosecutor's Office at (856) 225-8493.
All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.