April 16 (UPI) — Charges have been filed against a neonatal intensive care nurse in Long Island, N.Y. for allegedly lifting up a 2-day-old newborn and “slamming him face down.”
Amanda Burke, 29 of Holbrook N.Y., was arrested on Wednesday for the incident that reportedly happened in February, according to CBS News. Burke was caught on camera by Fidel Sinclair, father to little Nikko.
Sinclair recorded Burke handling Nikko through the window of the nursery at Long Island’s Good Samaritan Hospital where he was being kept for observation on Feb. 6, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
The prosecutor said Sinclair watched as Burke lifted Nikko out of his bassinet and then “quickly flipped him over, and violently slammed him face down on the bassinet.”
Burke is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. She is scheduled to be arraigned on May 2. She was fired within hours of the alleged incident, but her nursing license remains active.
“The allegations against this defendant, who is someone entrusted with the care of our most vulnerable citizens, are truly disturbing,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
“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.”
Sinclair and Nikko’s mother, Consuelo Saravia, said they confronted Burke and reported the incident to the Good Samaritan Hospital, NBC 4 New York reported.
Burke’s attorney Robert C. Gottlieb told the New York Post that Burke has handled Nikko with “love and compassion,” arguing that he did not suffer any injuries.
“The infant in this case is healthy and was never injured,” Gottlieb reportedly said.
“Amanda is an exceptional nurse who has always cared for infants under her care with love and compassion and the evidence will prove that without any doubt.”