A 21-year-old worker at a day care in Lindenwold is charged with attempted murder after assaulting a 1-year-old in a classroom Thursday, authorities said.
Other people at Forever Young Child Care Learning Center brought the child to safety and Maggie Fruit was arrested when police arrived and reviewed surveillance footage, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
The child was brought to a local hospital to be checked and has been released.
Police later learned that a half-hour before that incident, Fruit assaulted a different 1-year-old at the day care and is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. That attack at the building on the 600 block of Chews Landing Road is also on video, authorities said, adding that child was not injured.
Fruit, who has been employed by the day care for about two months was “fired immediately,” co-owner Stacy Krooks said in an email Saturday. Krooks added that there were no prior incidents involving Fruit but declined to answer additional questions about the alleged assault.
No violations were found at the day care by the state Department of Children and Families when it conducted its last inspection of Forever Young Child Care Learning Center in August. The family-owned business has been open for about 26, years, according to Krooks.
Fruit, of Somerdale, is being held at the Camden County jail ahead of a detention hearing.
The prosecutor’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for more information.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Jovan Plaza at 856-225-8493 or Lindenwold police Det. Joe Tomasetti at 856-784-7566. Tips can be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.