Day Care Workers Accused of Running Child 'Fight Club'

2 women have been fired, face child abuse charges
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 2, 2015 11:19 AM CDT
Day Care Workers Accused of Running Child 'Fight Club'
This photo shows the Lightbridge Academy in Cranford, NJ.   (Yelp)

Investigators say they've uncovered a disturbing fight club at just about the last place you'd expect to find such a ring: a day care. Prosecutors allege teacher's aide Erica Kenny, 22, and teacher Chanese White, 28, encouraged about a dozen boys and girls, aged 4 to 6, to battle each other on the playground at Lightbridge Academy in Cranford, NJ, per the New York Post. They were "throwing each other to the ground, hitting each other," a prosecutor tells CBS New York. "Most parents would be astonished by the behavior," another adds. The so-called fight club came to light when Kenny sent videos of the fights to friends on Snapchat, prosecutors say, and investigators got their hands on the footage. At one point, a voice believed to be Kenny's eggs on the kids and quotes Fight Club, reports NBC New York. No serious injuries have been reported.

Police believe the videos were recorded on Aug. 13 but are exploring whether this was more than a one-time incident. "As parents and caregivers, we are shocked and saddened by this isolated incident and we have assisted the prosecutor's office from the start of its investigation into this matter," says a statement from Lightbridge, which has since fired both women. A mother whose son was in the women's class in the 2013-2014 school year tells NJ.com "he came home with a broken finger once, and now I'm worried about what happened while he was there." She adds the day care offers a live feed of classrooms for parents, but cameras don't show the playground. Kenny and White both face charges of child abuse, while Kenny is accused of endangering the welfare of a child and could face five years in prison. They're due in court on Friday, per PIX 11. (More fight club stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X