The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the day care center and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive.
The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the daycare and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive. HIGHLAND PARK - Three former daycare workers have been placed on probation in connection with the death of a nine-week-old boy in their care, authorities said Friday.
Tanya Choy, 36, of Martinsville admitted she placed the infant facedown in a crib on Sept. 10, 2014 at the Above and Beyond Child Care Center on South Third Avenue in Highland Park, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey.
Choy admitted that she failed to check on the welfare of the infant, who was pronounced dead after police rushed him to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Carey said in a news release.
The investigation began when Highland Park police were dispatched to the daycare and arrived to find the infant was non-responsive.
The cause of death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as SIDS. A contributing factor was that the infant was placed on his stomach and left unattended for two hours, authorities said.
Choy was placed on a three-year probationary term known as pre-trial intervention after pleading guilty to a count of endangering the welfare of the child.
Her co-workers, Lorie McDermott, 49, of Milltown, and Blanca Jimenez, 61, of Edison, who also had been charged with child endangerment, were admitted to PTI for two years, Carey stated.
Each of the three is required to pay the infant's family $1,704.01 in restitution to cover some family expenses.
The charges will be dismissed for each of the defendants upon successful completion of the program.
Carey stated the three were admitted to the program following agreements reached with Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Lisa Miralles Walsh. The agreements were approved in New Brunswick by Superior Court Judge Diane Pincus.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.