This browser does not support the Video element.
Home health aide accused of slapping disabled child
FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg spoke to the father of a disabled child who was allegedly slapped by a home health aide.
LONG ISLAND - A home health aide was charged after Suffolk County police say he slapped a disabled child while caring for them at a Long Island home.
What we know:
According to Suffolk County police, 31-year-old Bruno Valenzuela was working as a home health aide through the Christian Nursing Registry in Smithtown when the alleged incident happened on Dec. 20 of last year at a residence in Port Jefferson.
Surveillance video shows health aide slapping child repeatedly
Dig deeper:
Surveillance video obtained by FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg shows Valenzuela changing the child’s clothes before the child begins to cry. As Valenzuela continues cleaning the area around the child, the crying grows louder.
The video then shows Valenzuela repeatedly slapping the child’s chest more than 10 times while the child lies flat on his back, causing the child’s body to shake, according to a review of the footage. The child’s cries intensify as Valenzuela picks him up and shakes him, moving him left and right.
Throughout the incident, Valenzuela can be heard repeatedly telling the child to "relax," saying "relax, relax" and "just relax" as the child continues crying. At one point in the video, Valenzuela places the child in his arms on his back and appears to throw him slightly up and down.
What police say happened
Timeline:
Police say Valenzuela was caring for a 5-year-old child who has cerebral palsy when the child began coughing and crying around 12:35 p.m.
Investigators allege Valenzuela aggressively slapped the child in the back and chest, leaving bruises on the child’s chest.
The family took the child to Stony Brook University Hospital two days later, on December 22, police said. A report was filed, prompting an investigation by Suffolk County Police Department Special Victims Unit detectives.
Valenzuela was arrested Tuesday night at about 9:06 p.m. at his home on Dekalb Avenue in Brentwood, according to police.
He was charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, a class E felony, as well as endangering the welfare of a child.
What they're saying:
A spokesperson from Christian Nursing Registry, the agency that employed Valenzuela, provided this statement:
"We've been here 38 years and this has never happened before. The nurse's documents were all up-to-date including a background check. He had been with the family for three and a half years. The family continues to use the agency."
What's next:
Valenzuela faces charges, including endangering the welfare of a child. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Police said he is no longer employed by the Christian Nursing Registry.
Detectives are asking anyone who believes a family member may have been victimized by Valenzuela to contact the Special Victims Section at (631) 852-6184.
The Source: This report is based on information from Suffolk County police and FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg.