Ex-Lindenwold daycare worker accused of abusing 6 more children

LINDENWOLD — A daycare worker already charged with attempted murder stemming from what police said was an attack on a young toddler faces more charges, after a review of surveillance video by detectives.

Maggie Fruit, 21, of Somerdale, was first arrested back in July.

At that point, she also was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child after police were called to the Forever Young Child Care Learning Center, on a report of a mother who said Fruit had abused her child.

Officers were shown video surveillance of Fruit abusing two different children, according to acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill Mayer.

Detectives have since reviewed video footage taken in days prior and saw six more young children being abused by Fruit, according to Mayer.

Fruit has been additionally charged with nine counts of aggravated assault, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts criminal restraint.

She was arrested on the new charges and was being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

Fruit had only been employed at the facility for two months, as a lead caretaker in charge of a room of one-year-old children.

The center's owners told New Jersey 101.5 that Fruit was fired immediately after her initial arrest in July, adding that she had no prior history of child abuse in a background check.

Mayer asked anyone with additional information to call her office at 856-225-8493 or Lindenwold Police at 856-784-7566.

Previous reporting by Erin Vogt was used in this report

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ