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Police charge worker at shuttered Brooklyn day care with forcibly dragging child
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Karen Yi
Published Feb 20, 2026
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Karen Yi / Gothamist
By
Karen Yi
Published Feb 20, 2026
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A former employee at a now-defunct Brooklyn day care has been arrested and charged with forcibly dragging a toddler and swiping a broom across a child’s face, police said.
Lindsay Olibrice, 24, was arrested on Feb. 17 and charged with acting in a manner that is injurious to a child and harassment while she worked at the Eva Crèche Day Care Center in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. The day care closed Jan. 2.
Olibrice’s attorney did not respond to calls, texts or emails seeking comment. Olibrice could not be reached for comment. She pleaded not guilty in court this week.
The arrest comes more than a month after another employee began texting parents videos they say showed their children being physically mistreated inside the day care center. Gothamist previously reported on the videos, which were recorded by that employee who reported the incidents to the city.
The videos, which were reviewed by Gothamist, show one child being grabbed by their clothing and tossed and another being grabbed and held upside down. Other videos viewed by Gothamist show a worker pointing a broom at a child in a high chair, two toddlers left inside their portable cribs alone in a bathroom, and children eating lunch on the floor of another location that was not the approved day care facility.
Parents who spoke to Gothamist and the employee who took the videos and reported the abuse said Friday that they want to see the day care center’s owner and director held accountable for allowing the abuse to fester. They also say a second employee who forcibly dragged children should be charged.
The NYPD said it’s not pursuing anyone else in the case.
“All of us are asking what wasn’t captured on video? What else was not revealed?” said Chelsea Donahue, 38, who had her child at the day care for a year-and-a-half. “Just because my child wasn’t in any of these videos I have no reassurance that these things didn’t happen to him.”
“I don’t feel like there’s enough accountability,” said Anaiah Johnson, 19, who used to work at Eva Crèche and confirmed to Gothamist she took the videos and reported the child abuse to the city.
“What was happening was completely unsafe and I knew that if I didn’t report it, it was never going to get reported. If I didn't stand up for the kids, then who would,” Johnson added.
The attorney representing owner Shareese Dukes and Executive Director Gigi Freeman didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Police said Olibrice forcibly dragged a 1-year-old girl on Oct. 30 and the child also had broom bristles brushed across her face. Parents and Johnson say those were separate incidents involving two different children. Olibrice’s charges also don’t appear to reflect the incident recorded on a video where she is shown grabbing and tossing another toddler.
“I am appalled by how our children were treated,” said Larry Murphy, 34, whose infant was enrolled at Eva Crèche.
“All children deserve to be safe, and we find it distressing that regular [health] inspections and an initial investigation by [child welfare investigators]did not uncover abuse or site violations. We are extremely disappointed in the NYPD’s decision not to pursue criminal charges against the owner and director of the site despite clear evidence they were aware of the abuse and threatened retaliation against the brave whistleblower,” Murphy said.
Johnson, who said she began recording videos of the incidents in October, said Olibrice and the other employee would also “throw pillows, hit [the kids] with phones, cups and books.”
She said 32 children were enrolled at the day care, although it was only licensed for 10.
The Administration for Children’s Services, which began investigating child abuse allegations in November, said it was restricted by state law from sharing details on the case. Officials with the city’s Department of Health, which licenses day care centers, said they are continuing to investigate, and they are exploring if they could still issue fines or summonses even though the business closed last month.
“I feel like there should be some sort of compensation involved, they were paying all this money just to have their kid abused,” Johnson said.
Parents say the Mamdani administration needs to ensure children are kept safe inside the city’s fractured private day care system, especially as he works to deliver universal child care. Murphy said he’s sharing a nanny with other families and has no plans to return his child to a day care.
“We don’t trust the city’s protocols whatsoever, we’re not putting our child in another day care unless there is a complete change and overhaul to these policies,” he said.
Tagged
brooklyn
childcare
prospect lefferts gardens
public safety
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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