Received Thursday, June 5, 2008
June 5th at 3:40pm I was walking to John Jay park. As soon as I crossed the street at 77th and York I saw this boy walking into the street being chased by an adult. This was happening on the driveway entrance to 500 East 77th street which has to be at least 100 yards from the park. This means this 2-3 year old crossed the exit of the this driveway and was totally on his own for a long period of time. She said that this was not her child and that he must have wondered off from John Jay. We turned this boy around and he followed us into the park. There was not a parent or caregiver in sight looking for someone. After 5 minutes of looking for the proper adult another nanny picked this child up and started to march him around the park to find the right person. I happened to have my camera with me and took this shot of him back in the playground. Someone was going to call the police because this was a clear case of child neglect if I ever saw one.
June 5th at 3:40pm I was walking to John Jay park. As soon as I crossed the street at 77th and York I saw this boy walking into the street being chased by an adult. This was happening on the driveway entrance to 500 East 77th street which has to be at least 100 yards from the park. This means this 2-3 year old crossed the exit of the this driveway and was totally on his own for a long period of time. She said that this was not her child and that he must have wondered off from John Jay. We turned this boy around and he followed us into the park. There was not a parent or caregiver in sight looking for someone. After 5 minutes of looking for the proper adult another nanny picked this child up and started to march him around the park to find the right person. I happened to have my camera with me and took this shot of him back in the playground. Someone was going to call the police because this was a clear case of child neglect if I ever saw one.
40 comments:
Did you ever find the proper adult and what was the reaction to the lost child? Come on, we need the rest of the story.
This absolutely breaks my heart. What happened? Was the family or nanny found?
That was going to be my question:
Did you find out who he belonged to?
I don't understand this post. "Someone was going to call the police . . . " WAS GOING TO? Why didn't anyone? According to your post, there was no resolution and the caregiver was never found. So what happened???
In my opinion, as soon as one realizes that the child is lost or without a caregiver, the police should be called immediately.
Something similar to this happened at Douglas Park,Santa Monica,CA .Don't know every little detail but the police were called,and by asking around the park,the "nanny" was found,engrossed in a book as is her normal routine.The police would not hand the child over to her and demanded she call the parents to come and get the child.Haven't seen her since....good riddance.
I would like to add to my previous comment:
Just because the child is not crying or hysterical because he realizes there is no one there to care for him does not, by any means, mean that the police should not be called immediately.
(This child may not have been upset at the time, because perhaps this is a routine occurence for him. We just don't know. But the police should still be called.)
Wow, how scary! Thank goodness for the kind stranger who saw this boy and got him out of the street, please do let us know what happened to the little guy.
soon to be tx mommy,
I'm excited for you! I know you may be away for a little while, but don't forget about us!
Report back how you and the new bundle of joy are doing as soon as you can, ok?
(((hugs)))
Aww thanks MPP:) My due date is the 8th and I can't wait to meet her! I can't believe I'm about to cross over from nanny to SAHM, I'm very lucky.
maybe it was the nanny's nap time. naturally she wouldn't wish to be bothered.
OMG, this is absolutely terrifying and infuriating. I also am confused though, on the outcome of this? Did anyone find the adult who was supposed to be watching him? Certainly police should have been called, even IF that person was located, because he clearly WAS endangered and neglected.
anonymous1.....hilarious!!! It's so true, too! I have seen nannies in the different parks here in NYC sound asleep on the benches. The newly torn up Ancient Park on 85th street has displaced many a napping nanny.
Anyway, good for the OP for getting a picture of this boy. This was an extrememly dangerous situation.
once i saw the nanny carrying this boy around the playground i went to a different place in the playground with my children. i didn't actually see a re-union between child and mother. i returned about 30 minutes later and didn't see this child around the playground.
oh look at his little red race car. I wonder how this child would be described sans photo...
White child with pouffy hair, two toned blue stripe tank top, pale skin, carrying a red toy race car...
pictures are so much better. this kid's identity is completly protected but mom would know it's him!
Why do some here think this had to be the nanny napping or reading a book or whatever and couldn't possibly be a neglectful parent?
As a retail store manager who became a nanny, I have encountered the following::
Helped a child who's mother had no idea he was stuck because she was too busy chatting with her friend on the cell phone.
Called the police from the parking lot of a mall because the mother loaded all her packages in the car, while chatting on her cell phone then get into the car and drove away, leaving baby in the child-carrier seat on the ground. After standing with the baby for several minutes the mother didn't come back and so I called. After about 15 minutes the hysterical mother returned while I was still answering questions. I know any one can make this sort of mistake, I guess, but if it were a nanny she'd be crucified. And this is not a rare occurrence. In my 11 years working on the Garden State Plaza, plenty of parents forgot their children.
Despite John Walsh's warnings, and numerous reports on the news, while in retail, I was amazed at how many parents let their young children play at the Disney Store or Kay- Bee unattended so they can shop in peace. The worst case I ever saw was after 90 minutes, no one had yet come for their 5 year old boy, who was getting bored with tearing down Plush mountain and the film loop at The Disney Store , so we called security and handed him over to them. A few weeks ago in Wal-mart I encountered a beautiful little girl wandering alone in the toy aisle. I kept an eye on her for about 20 minutes and no one seemed to be with her. She was exceptionally friendly and I have no doubt she would have happily walked off with me had I asked. She told me she was with her daddy, he was shopping. I alerted security.
Helped a parent find their lost child because I knew where they were. Instead of reading Oprah's magazine, I was actually watching and engaging with my charges and happened to notice their child was unattended.
I once had to call a mother's attention to her beautiful 4 year old daughter, because the child was repeatedly saying "Mommy look at me, mommy please look at me...." over and over because she wanted to show her mom she could go down the big slide. The mother had her back to the child and was talking about shopping plans with someone on her cell phone, completely ignoring her little girl. I finally had to say "For God's sake lady, could you tell your friend to hang on a minute and look at your daughter, she wants to show you something."
I have had to ask several mothers to please pick up the cigarette butt that they just dropped, lit, onto the playground floor because they were too lazy to walk to the trash can and throw it out. When I get attitude from them I explain that toddlers can pick those up and put them in their mouth which can cause illness and infection.
I have had to fetch a baby in a float ring who was drifting into deeper water at a lake because mom had turned over on her belly to tan and took her eyes off baby. When she turned back over baby was near myself and my husband and she started screaming because she couldn't swim and this was a swim at your own risk lake, no lifeguard on duty. Similar to that, last summer my husband, a strong swimmer, jumped in to help a six year old boy caught in a Rip at Ocean City NJ. Lifeguards had gone off-duty for the day and parents let their son go out on his boogie board. Next thing we see, the child is screaming, being pulled away from shore at an alarming speed. My husband told me to call 911 and dove in. He allowed the Rip to pull him out to the boy and grabbed him, instructing the child to wrap his arms and legs around the board so he stays on top and to hold on tight. (The boy wasn't a strong swimmer or else he could have swam with my husband parallel to the shoreline until the Rip released them as is the best course in this situation.)My husband then held onto the board and swam properly for several minutes until help arrived and retrieved them both. Apparently neither parent could swim, so they just stood on shore screaming.
Just the other day, at Saddle River Park, Dunkerhook Road Play area, I watched a mother scream at her child, then slap the child in the head, repeatedly and hard, then pour wood chips all over the child to teach her a lesson because the child had poured wood chips on another child's head. I would have called the police but someone beat me to it. This was definitely the mother because the child started crying "Ow mommy" She was about 6 years old.
My purpose is not to attack anyone personally on here. But I read the OP's post then read it again and no where does it say this wandering boy was with his nanny. So I'm not sure why some people would assume it was a nanny responsible. In my own personal experience I have encountered far more neglectful and abusive parents. I am not saying all nannies are wonderful, there are some horrible ones out there. Just speaking from my own personal experience.
Nannika, honestly, I've seen more negligent parents then I have nannies..but, to be fair, I see more parents than I ever see nannies...
Most of the moms I see out are awesome...it makes me envious. I can't wait to have kids of my own. However, the couple of times I DO see odd behavior, it's a mother not a nanny.
I'm definitely not surprised by your stories. They sound familiar...my sightings usually involve a mom on a cell phone or chatting it up with friends...they become oblivious.
I was at the park the other day and this woman, who I am sure is a great mother...just easily distracted, was pushing her 4 or 5 year old daughter on a swing while her one year old (give or take a month or two) was roaming around, out of sight, climbing around the "big kids" play area...He missed disaster by inches, several times. I was nervous watching him. Finally she took her daughter off the swing, after running back and forth to "save" him while her daughter sat crying for mommy to get her down off the swing...
I could tell this woman wasn't a "bad mommy." My gut told me she was loving and very into her kids...she just lacked common sense in this particular case. I
I see many bad parents. Not too many nannies. i wonder tho, maybe these people just don't like kids. A lot of women don't like kids but they just won't admit it. How can you care about something if you don't have the heart for it. Maybe they are just viewing it as a job, nothing else. If they get fired hey they can go and get a new job. They do not think that they are dealing with a life a soul. But that could be it. They just plain ass don't care.
This breaks my heart. I think nannikas post has encouraged me act more in the future as apposed to just sitting there thinking "what an oblivious asshole".
I have seen so many neglected children in life, especially the ones who wander around unsupervised.
I hope this boy is identified and soon.
i hope someone called the police. i don't think i'd have put an extraordinary amount of effort in to finding the caregiver ~ probably no more than 5-10 minutes, then i'd have called. nanny or parent, that's just so wrong. poor little guy. he doesn't look to be older than 3...
9:57 You are wuite a busy body aren't you? You have found more children than Social Services. Do you have time to eat and sleep or do you just look for children, and ask moms to clean up the park.
So 10:21, I guess you are one of those people who frequently drives off, forgetting their children in the car seat carrier or shopping cart, and you really HATE it when people see you doing it. @@
Gotta agree Cali Mom, 10:21 is certainly crabby that someone might be watching her ramble on her phone, while forgetting her baby in the shopping cart.
*rolls eyes*
Geeze, I don't think I'll ever get used to the posters who praise negligence.
p.s: I was rolling my eyes regarding the poster (who seems as though she has something to hide judging by how defensive she got) not at you cali. ;)
CaliBitch--I have never done such a thing. Stop making stupid comments when you really have no idea what you are talking about.
8:33
Hey diarrhea of the mouth - I think Cali mom hit too close to home for you! Why so mad? Hmmmm?
I keep going back to look at this child's pic...reminded me so much of my son at that age (now 26 yrs old). Makes me sick to think anyone might actually "lose" a precious child. Was anon7:52 am the OP, you think?...was that the update on what happened to this child, or a separate sighting?
11:34
Yes. I do believe it was an update from the OP, albeit kind of a scrambled one.
9:26 Fuck you too!
God bless the angry and the obscene ones too, please.
5:21
What a mouth on you! I hate to think of you kissing your kids or your mom with it! Ewww!
9:00 Fuck your mother too!
I have done a few stupid things as a Mom, and thanked god for helpful strangers. On one of my more distracted days, I drove off leaving the stoller on the sidewalk (not with a child in it--just forgot to fold it up and put it in the trunk). Another Mom I didn't know saw me do it, picked up the stroller and followed my home to give it to me. I've left my purse hanging on the back of my stroller on the sidewalk as I wandered off after my children into the park. A nanny who noticed what I did pulled the stoller over where she was picnicing with her charges nearby to keep an eye on it. It's easy to get distracted when with kids.
God bless the angry, the foul-mouthed, and the distracted, please.
I have never forgotten my child though. NEVER. Stop blessing me I don't believe in god.
10:12,
Bless you.
I'm saying tons and tons of prayers for you too, and you can't stop me! hahahahahahah !!!!
(waves wand maniacally)
Waving middle finger at you! That's my magic wand.
lol - children, please!
i think the nanny needs a nanny.
The police should have been called immediately.
As a man, unless the child was running into traffic, I would not have layed a hand on the boy, not even to march him to the park. Instead I would have called the police, then let the kid play with my cellphone while we wait for the cops to show up.
It's safer like that. No one can accuse you of anything. And you're helping a missing child. And probably starting the process to take him away from his neglectful mother.
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