Police say surveillance video showed a former Newtown Discovery Preschool employee roughly handling a crying toddler during a July incident.
NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A former Pennsylvania preschool worker has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault after police said surveillance video showed her roughly handling a crying 2-year-old boy at a Bucks County preschool.
Erin Burke, 27, was charged Aug. 6 after an investigation into a July 24 incident at Newtown Discovery Preschool on Blacksmith Road, according to Newtown Township police and court records cited by local news organizations. Police said the school initiated a ChildLine report of suspected child abuse on the day of the incident. The charges include endangering the welfare of children, graded as a third-degree felony, and simple assault, graded as a first-degree misdemeanor. Burke has not been convicted, and her attorney has said she did not intentionally or recklessly harm the child.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators reviewed surveillance video showing Burke attempting to change the toddler’s clothes as the child appeared to be crying. Police alleged that Burke picked up the boy and dropped him face down from about 6 inches above a cushioned mat. Investigators said the video then showed her forcefully pushing the child’s head into a pillow. Other portions of the footage allegedly showed her pulling the boy by his ankles and handling him roughly while dressing and moving him around the classroom.
Police said the boy had scratches on his neck and arms. The child’s identity has not been released, and authorities have not publicly reported more serious injuries. Because the alleged victim is a young child, news reports have withheld identifying details about him and his family.
The preschool’s response helped start the investigation. Newtown Township police said the school initiated the ChildLine report after the incident. Reports citing the criminal complaint said Burke also told an administrator about what had happened. The administrator sent her home, and the school contacted the child’s parents and other authorities. The preschool later provided investigators access to its surveillance footage.
Investigators interviewed Burke several days later. According to court documents cited by NBC10 Philadelphia and other local outlets, Burke told police she had been frustrated and acknowledged that she had been too rough with the toddler. Investigators said she also acknowledged that her handling of the child caused the scratches. Those statements are allegations contained in the criminal case and have not been tested at trial.
Burke’s attorney, Louis R. Busico, has disputed any suggestion that his client intended to hurt the child. He told WPVI that the incident was unintentional and emphasized that Burke reported what happened to a school administrator. Busico said Burke would not intentionally or recklessly place a child in danger and described the day at the preschool as difficult. His comments presented Burke’s self-reporting as evidence that she was not trying to conceal the incident.
Newtown Discovery Preschool said Burke was removed from the school after the incident and that her employment was later terminated following an internal review. In a statement released to news organizations, the preschool described the conduct as a serious and unacceptable violation of its standards for child care and professional behavior. School officials said the alleged actions did not reflect the preschool’s values and acknowledged the effect of the case on the child, his family and the broader school community.
Newtown Township Police Chief John Hearn said the department treats reports involving possible harm to children as a priority. Police announced the arrest publicly Aug. 10, saying detectives had investigated the ChildLine report received July 24 before charges were filed Aug. 6. The department’s public statement did not identify the child and provided fewer details than those later reported from the criminal complaint.
Burke was released on unsecured bail following her preliminary arraignment, according to reports citing court records. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 3. No later disposition in the criminal case had been announced as of Aug. 20, and the allegations against Burke remain pending in court.
Author note: Last updated August 20, 2026.