Union County 'Fight Club' Caretakers Plead Not Guilty, Reports Say

During brief and separate court appearances today, a former teacher and assistant teacher at a Cranford daycare center plead not guilty to charges of child abuse, reports say.

Chanese White, 28, of Roselle and Erica Kenny, 22, of Cranford are charged for allegedly instigating and encouraging fights among a group of children at the Lightbridge Academy last month.

According to nj.com, neither of the women had much to say in court outside of the one to two-word responses given to the judge’s questions. They both have court hearings on Oct. 15 in Superior Court.

According to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office:

Two caretakers at the Cranford facility, located on South Avenue East, instigated fights among children between the ages of 4 and 6.

White has since been charged with fourth-degree child abuse. Kenny is charged with fourth-degree child abuse as well as third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Kenny also recorded video of the fights with her cell phone and shared the video clips with friends via the social media app, Snapchat.

“In the video clips, Kenny can be heard referencing the activity as “Fight Club,” quoting from the book and movie of the same name in encouraging the children to engage each other physically,” according to the prosecutor’s office. “Approximately a dozen boys and girls at the daycare center can be seen in the video clips shoving each other to the ground and attempting to strike each other.”

The children involved in the fights are not believed to have suffered any serious injuries. However, the investigation into this matter remains ongoing, and anyone with information is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Joanne Son at 908-527-4696.

Convictions on third-degree criminal charges can result in sentences of 3 to 5 years in state prison. Fourth-degree crimes are punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

Photos via the Union County Prosecutor’s Office