Of all the things a daycare worker was expecting to find in a toddler’s jacket, heroin was quite possibly the last thing.
On Monday things took a turn for the unexpected after an employee at a child care center in Patterson, New Jersey found an astonishing 48 packets of heroin in a toddler’s coat.
Paterson Police Lieutenant Bert Ribeiro said the startled individual soon after called the police. After a bit of investigating, it was determined by law enforcement officials that the father had brought the two-year-old to the daycare center.
The boy’s father has since been identified as Phillip Young. The 27-year-old was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
According to police, there is no indication that the child was ever aware that there were drugs in his jacket. It’s fortunate that the young child managed to avoid taking the drugs and causing himself potentially fatal harm.
The toddler’s father is currently being held on $85,000 bail.
@ProperGanderPro RT "Now trending on yahoo "toddler heroin"… wait, what?"
I assume it's a great article on jingling keys.
— KENTA disciple (@KENTAkicksheads) March 12, 2014
Toddler Brings 48 Packets of Heroin to Daycare http://t.co/caHZ8TLlTi This 2 year old drug lord set up his Dad to take the fall.
— Pat Nucky Thompson (@metaldude29) March 12, 2014
As unfortunate as this case is, it’s not the only known incident of drugs being found in a situation that could have jeopardized children.
In January of this year, two different McDonald’s employees were busted using Happy Meals as a means of getting heroin to customers. One woman, Shania Dennis, had even instructed her customers to get the drugs by asking for a toy. Imagine the surprise on a parent’s face if they unintentionally found themselves purchasing smack when all they really wanted was the latest Mattel toy for their kid.
What’s especially startling about the incidents being around children or items sold to children is that there is a lethal batch of heroin being sold in the area. Nearly a dozen people have been reported to have died due to the mixture of drugs.
In the case of the heroin found on the toddler at the New Jersey daycare, it is not yet known if the batch has any connection to the dangerous fentanyl-laced heroin that has been sold in the region.
Image via YouTube