Two teen babysitters from Massachusetts are facing very serious charges, after a video shows the girls placing a baby they were watching, inside a fridge and then closing the door.
The two girls, whose names are not being released because they are juveniles, were arrested in Danvers, Massachusetts.
The teens were charged with child endangerment, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to NBC.
In the video posted on Snapchat, the footage shows the girls placing the baby inside the fridge, before closing the door and laughing.
The baby’s screams can be clearly heard even through the closed fridge door. A few moments later, they do end up opening the fridge again and removing the baby.
“This past evening at approximately 9:30 p.m., Danvers officers were notified by Swampscott police about a potential situation,” Danvers Police Chief Patrick Ambrose said.
It’s not clear exactly how long the baby was inside the closed fridge.
The mother of the 8-month-old girl, however, told WBZ-TV one of the teens, a 15-year-old, is her niece.
She said that she was in the shower when she left the baby with her niece and 14-year old friend for just 30 minutes. She had no idea the incident happened until later when she saw the video posted by police.
“I didn’t understand why they would do that. I didn’t know and they didn’t tell me. I was very angry,” the baby’s mother told WBZ-TV.
The mother said that the girls told her a “believable” story about what occurred, saying that they were reaching into the fridge to grab a bottle to stop the baby from crying. But the video show’s a completely different story.
“I was just traumatized by it,” the mother said. “My eyes were bulging out of my face.”
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, they were sent to Salem juvenile court and were later released to their parents.
According to the mother, the girls were just joking and she didn’t believe they truly wanted to harm the baby.
“It was their stupidity. I feel like they learned a lesson and would never do it again. My niece is a good-hearted girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” she told WBC-TV.
The incident is still being investigated by the Department of Children and Families, Danvers Police and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Essex District Attorney spokesman Steve O’Connell told Boston Herald “The refrigerator was the dangerous weapon.”
The Department of Children and Families said that it has received a report on the situation and “is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement,” according to the Boston Herald.
The mother said that her baby is doing fine but will now be worried about leaving her with anyone again.