Florida day care teacher broke 3-year-old child’s leg, lied about injury, police say

BOCA RATON, Fla. — A Florida day care teacher is accused of breaking a 3-year-old child’s leg because the boy was misbehaving in class, authorities said.

Estafany Acosta, 24, was arrested Tuesday and charged with aggravated child abuse, WPTV reported. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.

The alleged incident occurred Friday at the Early Learning Academy`in Boca Raton, WPBF reported. According to Boca Raton police, the child was not being cooperative with Acosta and spit on the carpet at one point, the television station reported.

According to police, Acosta, who has been at the day care center since November 2019, told the child to get paper towels to clean up the spit. When the boy refused, Acosta allegedly grabbed the boy by his arm and swung him around, WPBF reported.

The boy’s father said the day care center called him around 11 a.m. and said the boy sustained a leg injury from kicking a metal chair, WPTV reported. The man said he was told the boy has a bump on his shin, the television station reported.

The child’s mother picked up the boy at 3:45 p.m., according to a police report.

“She observed her son sitting down and he appeared to be in a lot of pain. He was shivering, had urinated on himself and had not eaten,” the report said.

The boy was later taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fracture to his right leg, WPTV reported.

Police said surveillance video showed Acosta putting the child down on the carpet, at which point her knee fell on the child, WPBF reported.

According to the arrest report, Acosta became nervous when told the classroom was under surveillance. "She got nervous and changed her story. Acosta claimed that (the child) could have been injured when she accidentally fell on him,” the report said.

Police and the Department of Children and Families were contacted about the incident and spoke Monday to the day care’s owner, Jeneille Como, WPTV reported.

Acosta admitted she carried the boy across the room and putting him facedown on the carpet, the television station reported.

“Acosta admitted that the manner in which she picked up (the child) was inappropriate, dangerous and could have led to him being seriously injured,” the arrest report said. “She continually denied causing the leg injury. Additionally, she denied telling Early Learning Academy staff that he had received the injury because he kicked a chair.”

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