NJ Daycare Worker Charged With Attempted Murder Of 1-Year-Old

An employee at a South Jersey daycare has been charged with attempted murder after physically assaulting a 1-year-old child, authorities announced on Saturday.

Maggie Fruit, 21 of Somerdale, was arrested after she assaulted a child at a daycare center located on the 600 block of Chews Landing Road in Lindenwold on Thursday, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Lindenwold Borough Police Chief Michael P. McCarthy.

Lindenwold police responded to a 911 call about a child being abused at the daycare Thursday afternoon. The alleged assault was captured on video, and witnesses told police they saw the incident, authorities said.

The child was taken away from Fruit, who has been an employee at the daycare for two months, police said. The child was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation, and was released, police said.

While further investigating the alleged assault, police said they came across video that showed Fruit physically abusing another 1-year-old child in the same classroom about 30 minutes before the incident that resulted in the 911 call, police said.

That child didn’t require medical examination, but the parents were notified and Fruit was charged in that incident as well, police said. The prosecutor’s office didn’t immediately provide details about either assault Saturday afternoon.

No complaints have been filed against the daycare, and the daycare doesn't have a history of violations since it opened about 20 years ago, according to state records.

Fruit was charged with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She was remanded to the Camden County Jail and is awaiting a pre-trial detention hearing.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call Detective Jovan Plaza at 856-225-8493 or Lindenwold Police Detective Joe Tomasetti at 856-784-7566. You can also email tips to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.