What to Know
- A day care owner on Long Island is facing child endangerment charges after toddlers in her care somehow escaped
- They were found wandering on a roadway and sidewalk outside the facility in Hicksville
- The toddlers were not hurt; the owner was released on a desk appearance ticket
A day care owner on Long Island has been arrested after two toddlers in her care somehow slipped out, one of them wandering into the middle of the street while the other stood on the sidewalk curb, police said.
Nassau County police said a 3-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy were in the care 24-year-old Graciela Castro, owner of Chella's Childcare in Hicksville, when they managed to get out through an unlocked back gate Monday.
The girl made her way onto the roadway of Jerusalem Avenue, and a man driving by spotted the child in the right lane and stopped, police said. That's when he noticed the boy standing on the curb. The man immediately called 911.
It's unclear how long the children were on the street. Responding police quickly determined they had come from the day care and arrested Castro on child endangerment charges.
The children were not hurt. Castro was released on a desk appearance ticket. No one answered her door for comment Monday evening.
