Boy, 2, Found Sleeping Alone On Park Bench After Day Care Forgot Him, Didn’t Realize He Is Missing For Four Hours
Two-year-old Ethan Huach was left alone at a Brooklyn park after day care workers miscounted the children before leaving. The child was left alone in the park for an hour before being found sleeping on a park bench and placed under police custody. Meanwhile, despite the fact the two-year-old had been out of their care for four hours, the day care workers did not realize the child is missing until someone saw the child’s photo on the police station’s Twitter account.
The Daily Mail reports that Quality of Life Academy day care in Brooklyn has been closed while police investigate an incident involving a two-year-old boy. The boy was at the Sunset Park with 16 other children and three day care workers when he was left alone. Day care workers say that they miscounted the children when leaving and didn’t realize that the child, Ethan Huach, was missing until later.
After the workers returned to the day care center with the other children, Ethan was left alone in the park. He was found about an hour later sleeping on a bench by a passerby. He was taken to the hospital where he was found to be in good health and then turned over the the NYPD 72nd Precinct. The child remained in the police officers’ custody for three more hours as they attempted to track down the missing child’s guardian.
Finally, thanks to the photo of the child being placed on Twitter by police, the child was identified.
Found child inside of sunset park playground today! Please help locate the parents! @NYPDMissing @SunsetParkBID pic.twitter.com/KIoA6UDNjb
— NYPD 72nd Precinct (@NYPD72Pct) September 17, 2015
After the child was found, four hours after he went missing, the day care finally called the child’s mother. The mother and a day care worker went to the police station to retrieve the child.
Now, according to Inside Edition, the boy’s mother wants some answers. She claims that day care officials never realized her son was missing, despite the fact he was missing for four hours.
“Anything could have happened! I mean, anybody, a psycho, could have taken him somewhere and that would have been the last day for me to see him this morning, dropping him off.”
Following the incident, the day care was closed for investigation. It was noted that the day care facility only had a license to manage 15 children at a time, but on the day of the incident there were 17 children under their care.
Do you think the day care should remain closed permanently after they failed to realize a child was missing for four hours?
[Image Credit: Google Maps/ Twitter]
