Skip to main content

NJ Day Care Employees Break First Rule of Toddler Fight Club

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on September 09, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The first rule of Toddler Fight Club: Don't Snapchat Toddler Fight Club. The second rule of Toddler Fight Club: DO NOT SNAPCHAT TODDLER FIGHT CLUB.

Apparently two day care workers couldn't follow these simple rules, and now they face child abuse charges. The women were busted after sharing an organized kid fight video on social media, possibly as part of Project Mayhem.

The Things You Record End up Recording You

New Jersey women Erica Kenny and Chanese White instigated and videotaped fights between a dozen boys and girls, aged four to six. Kenny then shared the video through Snapchat. The video allegedly showed toddlers trying to hit each other and shove other children to the ground, with Kenny explicitly referencing the fight's source material.

Although Snapchat deletes videos after 10 seconds, investigators saw the video after someone recorded it. And while the current charges only apply to the current incident, authorities are looking into whether children had been involved in similar fights in the past.

You're Not Your Job

Kenny and White have both been fired from Lightbridge Academy and have been charged with fourth-degree child abuse. Kenny was also charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for recording and posting video of the fights.

Both junior Tyler Durdens pleaded not guilty to the charges and are due back in court next month. Under New Jersey child abuse laws, White faces up to 18 months in jail, while Kenny could be sentenced up to five years.

For its part, Lightbridge Academy released this statement:

As parents and caregivers, we are shocked and saddened by this isolated incident and we have assisted the prosecutor's office from the start of its investigation into this matter ... While no children were physically harmed during this incident, we have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who acts in conflict with the core value of Lightbridge Academy -- the safety and well-being of children.

While the children may not have been hurt in the fights, it was a valuable educational experience: as Mr. Durden asked, "How much can you know yourself if you've never been in a fight?"

Follow FindLaw for Consumers on Facebook and Twitter (@FindLawConsumer).

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard