A medical worker carries out grasp reflex training for an infant at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, Jan. 10, 2023. Medical staff here have been making all-out efforts to save the newborns' lives. (Photo by Li An/Xinhua via Getty Images)
A registered former nurse, identified as Amanda Burke, has been arrested after a video showed her slamming a two-day-old newborn face-down into his bassinet, according to CBS News.
The 29-year-old was fired from Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York, back in February. The father of the infant, Fidel Sinclair captured the incident on camera and notified nursing staff, The Shade Room reported at the time.
According to reports, Amanda surrendered herself to the Suffolk County Police Department on Wednesday morning.
She has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child–a misdemeanor–and is due back in court on May 2.
As of Thursday morning, Burke’s license as a registered nurse was still active, according to public records reviewed by CBS News. The district attorney’s statement said that the office had informed relevant authorities of the charges against Burke.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County district attorney Raymond Tierney called out Burke for abusing “the most vulnerable of our citizens.”
“The allegations against this defendant, who is someone entrusted with the care of our most vulnerable citizens, are truly disturbing,” said Tierney. “I want to commend the members of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit for their hard work in this case, and together we will continue to fight to protect the rights and safety of all Suffolk County residents.”
However, the nurse’s lawyer told CBS News the charges are “not justified by all the facts.”
Fidel told the outlet that God sent him to check on his son. Though curtains covered the NICU area, Fidel could see Nikko through a small opening. But what he saw was far from intensive care or gentle observation. Instead, the father filmed a female nurse picking up his crying son and seemingly slamming him face-first into the bassinet.
“If it wasn’t for God who sent me to check on him we would have never seen any of that happen,” Fidel told NBC New York. “And it would have kept happening overnight not only to him but the other babies too.”
At this time, Nikko is at home with his parents and reportedly didn’t sustain any injuries from the nurse’s rough handling.
Fidel says seeing Nikko slammed “broke” him. Though unsure of what to do, he showed his wife, Consuelo, the video. The mother reacted by confronting the nurse.
But Consuelo didn’t stop there. She alerted other nurses and administrators of the incident by showing them the video. Since no security cameras are in the NICU area, Fidel’s video played a significant role in launching the investigation and subsequent firing.
Catholic Health also explained the use of curtains in the NICU area.
“It is standard procedure to have closed curtains in the neonatal ICU to provide privacy for the patients and their families and because services are being administered at the bedside. Immediate family members are permitted inside the neonatal ICU to spend time with their loved ones.”
This is a developing story. Be sure to check back in with The Shade Room for more updates as they come.
