Received Monday, August 13, 2007
The little boy was named Wyatt. This happened today, Monday the 13th in the afternoon. It was at the playground which is directly opposite Mt. Sinai Hospital on the UES. The nanny left Wyatt at the playground by himself. I saw him alone for at least 30 minutes. He told me that she went to pick up someone or something. I couldn't quite understand what he said. I also heard him ask another nanny to bring him home. The scary thing is that the other nanny didn't know him. (I asked.) The other nanny asked around and Wyatt's nanny didn't ask anyone to keep an eye on him. He is about 3-4, sturdy build. He has wavy, blonde hair and was wearing red bathing trunks with a Hawaiian print.
OP here 8/14: I think the description of the little boy was pretty detailed. The nanny was black, middle aged, heavyset and she was wearing a chambray colored jumper dress with a white t-shirt under. I was I kept an eye on the boy since he was playing with my child. If she hadn't returned before I left, I would have called the police.
29 comments:
That's so reprehensible. I can imagine how alone and scared the little boy felt.
That is awful, but why didn't you call police?
What happened when the nanny returned? Did anyone confront her?
I agree with 7:54, the police should have been called. This is a case of child endangerment.
Oh thats wonderful ...3 year old left alone...and not just one, but many other nannies/moms/people did nothing...Wow that's great! You are deserve to be slapped..wake up! You SHOULD HAVE done something..and there was no one there to confront you so you have no excuses!!!
Seriously criminal behavior- no question. No need to think about what to do- call the police and they will handle it. I understand being afraid to get involved if you are dealing with an adult you do not know and you are with another child, but police are trained for it, all you need to do is call them!! (plus- here the supposedly responsible adult was absent) This nanny should be in jail. This child could have been, or if she does it again, could be, kidnapped, or worse.....I hate to think about it! What happened when the nanny finally showed up? Any description of her? PLEASE tell me someone saw her come back to get him............
What happened when you called the police? This is the first (non) nanny siting that I agree the police should have been called! Horrible!! Shame on all the people at the park who did nothing.. they are as bad as the stupid, stupid nanny.
The police should have been called. How do people not know to call the police when a child is in need?
I hope harm does nt come to this little boy the next time this happens.
OP SAID, "I was in the area and keeping an eye on him.When I did finally see the nanny, she looked about as lethargic as they come."
Like others have said I can't believe the police weren't called!!
OP How about a better a description of the nanny, or you waiting for this to be on the news & you can come on & "oh I tried to do something",,,,,,horrible stupid sighting on your part.
OP here: I think the description of the little boy was pretty detailed. The nanny was black, middle aged, heavyset and she was wearing a chambray colored jumper dress with a white t-shirt under.I was I kept an eye on the boy since he was playing with my child. If she hadn't returned before I left, I would have called the police.
stupid stupid stupid nanny! The little boy could have walked right out of the park and into the hands of a bad person or into traffic. I used to be a nanny myself. One should not take their eyes off the kids for a second. Some nannies just don`t care. They are not dedicated to taking care of children. They do it for the money. These selfish people should never be allowed near children. Once , I told on a nanny I used to have playdates with. Could not watch her abuse her charge. She yelled at him , pushed and among other things picked on him for little things. There was never a warm moment. Nannies, be nice to your charges even if the parents are employers from hell. The children are always innocent. You have a choice to leave.
Hmm-small child all alone in a playground in Manhattan-and WHY didn't you call the police??? She returned before you left-that is why you didn't call the police? WHY? You should have called them right away-next time she leaves the kid-who knows if anyone will be kind enough to watch him! The next time you see this kid will be on the news!
Let me try to put myself in op's position. She sees this happening. Not dead on. So then she tries to zero on what is happening. Is that nanny really leaving that child? She looks around. Another nanny asks. Maybe the OP imagined that no one could do such a ridiculous thing, so she waited for the nanny to reappear instantaneously. As she is watching this, she thinks the nanny will be back by the time the police come and she will look ridiculous for having called the police. Why so judgemental on this board? You weren't there. You didn't see it. So pipe down.
OP, any thoughts on what the nanny was doing or where she went? Bathroom? She returned looking lethargic? Maybe she found a garbage can to hurl? Scored some drugs?
I was once in a similar situation (as a nanny), and waited perhaps 10 minutes before deciding to call the police. In that 10 minutes, I took the child all over the LARGE playground looking for his adult, with my older charges trailing along.
I agree that not calling the police was insane. Please, next time, get truly involved, not just "involved" enough to post to ISYN.
listen chick,
no one is deciding whether to get involved or not based on if it would make a good post for i saw your nanny. the op didn't even know about this blog when she was telling the story to her parents group and they suggested she put it on here. this is a time that i agree the police should have been called, but i don't know that i would have been able to make that call except in retrospect. also, chick i dont think in this day and age it is advisable to "take" someone's child to another playground. it is another story if the child comes up to you and asks for help. the op is saying this is what i saw and i hope somehow the parents find out what was going on. should she have done more? probably. should i have done more this morning when a woman spilled coffee on her dress? should i have done more time on the ski machine this morning? should i have read more stories to my son last night? we should all do more. but lets think about who this nanny could be and actively circulate this story to people we know in that area of nyc. instead of saying what will happen "next time". instead of being harsh with the op, get involved yourself and make sure there is no next time. everyone knows people. "email this". and i hope someone lets us know that this nanny's employer was found.
Absolutely, the police should have been called -- though I understand why the OP hesitated.
I'm glad I read this, though, because now I know I will call police if I see something similar. Before reading this, though, I would probably have done exactly what the OP did.
Here's the problem -- OP knew the child was safe while she was watching him, or so she thought. What if someone other than the nanny came for him later? What if that "someone" wasn't actually related to the child? What if the child were hurt while the OP was watching him? How would/could the OP have coped with those situations?
And, worst of all, what if the parents DON'T see this post? They've still got a child being "cared for" by a criminally-negligent nanny.
Posting here doesn't solve the problem -- though it was a good idea. Calling the police would have made sure it didn't get ignored or overlooked -- safer for the little boy, in the long run -- and, come to think of it, possibly safer for the OP, too.
Anonymous 1034AM...By lethargic, I meant sitting around like a blob and not moving or interacting with the child. She didn't looked ill or stoned, just lazy. Even after she came back, she just plopped herself down on the furthest possible bench from where he was playing (other side of playground.)
The police or CPS truly should have been called. The little boy is safe *this* time- what happens when it happens again? This is not the case of a lazy nanny. This is abandoning a child in a public place who is way too young to be watching out for himself.
Of course, the police should have been called on this lazy nanny slug. If she had returned prior to the arrival of the police, she should have been notified that the police were on the way, and should she have abscounded with the child at that time, she'd have been in dire straights so long as someone got her license plate number or other information with which to track her down.
Everyone involved acted nonchalantly about the welfare of a young child, no less than the nanny whom left Wyatt on his own. Shame on all of them.
Police should have been called immediately rather than babysitting for the abadoning nanny until she returned. OP, did you say anything to this nanny when she returned or just go on your way as if everything were fine that she is back?
licence plate. lmao.
not in that area of ny.
and certainly, nanny slugs do not drive!
Pat Basham,
I bet many people pay attention to things because they do know this website exists, and can't wait to post here. If I missed that OP didn't know about ISYN, then my bad.
I did not take the child I found (2 yo, barely verbal boy, stinky diaper, asked me for a drink and to be held, could not tell me where his adult was.) to another playground, I took him around the entirety of the large playground where I found him. Yep, I could have just "watched" him, fending off his pleas for help, but I am not quite that cold.
And since many people who read this blog (including myself) live nowhere near the UES, we will continue to speak up when an OP makes a "judgement call" and does too little to protect the child she is reporting has been abused/neglected.
I have no one I can email on this issue. If you do, that's fabulous, and I hope you do all you can to get the word out. I did report the negligent sitter whose charge asked me for help, and I was able to speak with her employers and she was fired.
Maybe it's a regional thing...I can't imagine people where I live not calling the cops in a similar situation, but I guess folks in NYC are differently wired.
OMG! That is all I have to say. OMG!
lil kim: perhaps you should say more. what is your comment even referring to?
I would have followed her, cell phone in hand
This is the most egregious nanny act I've read about on here so far, and I would have given it 10 minutes after making sure the nanny was nowhere near the child before calling police. If she returned before they showed up, so what? a playground full of witnesses could verify that she had left him abandoned, which IS a criminal act, and parents would have been notified.
It is completely not the point if the child was "safe" while OP was there - because parents and authorities are none the wiser, this WILL happen again and I would bet it had happened before to poor Wyatt. This woman needs something much severe than being fired.
BTW, if all the nanny did when she returned was plop down on the farthest bench, what tipped you off that she was the absentee nanny? Did he say that was her?
I agree completely, but I don't think I would have given it 10 minutes. The second the child said he was alone, I would have been on the phone.
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