Video Goes Viral of Child's Rescue from Washing Machine
By: NBC News
Updated: May 24, 2012
Investigators in New Jersey believe they've found the toddler featured in a frightening surveillance video that shows the child trapped in a running washing machine then rescued seconds later.
The video was shot on May 11 and drew millions of hits after being posted on YouTube and other Internet sites.
It shows a man putting the little boy into the machine, apparently as part of a peek-a-boo game.
He then shut the door, which locked and started an automatic cycle with the boy inside.
The man and a woman then frantically pulled on the door for a few seconds as the child continued to spin, then ran to get help.
An employee at the laundromat quickly unplugged the machine, and the child, who did not appear to be hurt, was pulled to safety.
Workers then called police.
The woman and the man in the video were not there when officers arrived because they had taken the child to be checked out at the hospital.
The unidentified man in the video later came back to collect his laundry and claimed the boy was okay.
Authorities say the matter does not appear to be criminal, but it has been referred to the state's Division of Youth and Family Services.
Investigators initially believed the man who placed the boy into the machine was his father, but the child's mother says that's not true.
According to her, the woman in the video was the child's father's girlfriend, who was babysitting him at the time. The child's mom says she doesn't know who the man in the video is.
She also says she didn't even know about the incident until she watched the video on the news and thought she recognized the woman.
She says when she confronted the woman about the incident, the woman denied it.
"She said it wasn't her," the child's mother said. "But when the cops came this morning to my house and told me to come outside, I knew it was my baby."
Police later questioned the babysitter and she admitted it was her in the video.
The video was shot on May 11 and drew millions of hits after being posted on YouTube and other Internet sites.
It shows a man putting the little boy into the machine, apparently as part of a peek-a-boo game.
He then shut the door, which locked and started an automatic cycle with the boy inside.
The man and a woman then frantically pulled on the door for a few seconds as the child continued to spin, then ran to get help.
An employee at the laundromat quickly unplugged the machine, and the child, who did not appear to be hurt, was pulled to safety.
Workers then called police.
The woman and the man in the video were not there when officers arrived because they had taken the child to be checked out at the hospital.
The unidentified man in the video later came back to collect his laundry and claimed the boy was okay.
Authorities say the matter does not appear to be criminal, but it has been referred to the state's Division of Youth and Family Services.
Investigators initially believed the man who placed the boy into the machine was his father, but the child's mother says that's not true.
According to her, the woman in the video was the child's father's girlfriend, who was babysitting him at the time. The child's mom says she doesn't know who the man in the video is.
She also says she didn't even know about the incident until she watched the video on the news and thought she recognized the woman.
She says when she confronted the woman about the incident, the woman denied it.
"She said it wasn't her," the child's mother said. "But when the cops came this morning to my house and told me to come outside, I knew it was my baby."
Police later questioned the babysitter and she admitted it was her in the video.
