Day care is meant to be a nurturing, safe environment for babies and toddlers, but one particular center should have never existed, according to authorities in Rockland County.
The town of Clarkstown discovered an illegally operating day care with infants sleeping in nightmarish, hellish conditions, and were in imminent danger of being hurt.
According to Clarkstown officials, the day care operated out of two buildings on Maple Avenue.
The owner of the buildings had a certificate of occupancy for a house of worship in one location, and had petitioned to operate a day care, but that petition was never approved.
On top of that, the building had a maximum occupancy of 33, and yet, police who were tipped off found 69 kids and 21 adults inside.
Eyewitness News spoke to a woman named Nancy, who said she heard kids when she was in the area.
"I was curious, and I kind of peeked over the fence and noticed there were -- I don't even know how many -- but maybe 50, 60 kids back there," she said,
Police say part of the day care was located under a tobacco shop, a windowless basement that housed portable playpens alongside propane cylinders.
"These conditions were horrendous," said Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann. "Thirty children in an unfinished basement with gas cans. That's not acceptable."
"That's horrible. Yeah, they could get hurt. You know, I'm a nurse, and... yeah, I would hate to even think of what could happen to them," Noreen Bauer said.
On Tuesday, Child Protective Services evacuated everyone from the day care, and there's now a temporary restraining order and a lawsuit against the owner. Criminal charges could also be filed.
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