New Jersey foster mom arrested after 12-year-old found alone, chained up in apartment
02/18/2021 12:11 pm PST
NEWARK, N.J. (TCD) --
A 66-year-old foster mom in New Jersey was arrested February 10 and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The Newark Department of Public Safety wrote in a statement that officers performed a welfare check at Wanser Brown's house on the 500 block of Clinton Avenue. When officers arrived, they found a 12-year-old boy "tethered to a fan by chains and padlocks."
Brown was arrested and the child was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. He was later released into the custody of the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
According to WABC-TV, the boy's teacher called police after she saw the chains during online class. A neighboring tenant reportedly let the police into the home. Brown returned not long after the police showed up and allegedly admitted to the cops that she chained up the boy.
WABC reports the boy was found hiding under a blanket, tethered to a piece of exercise equipment, with his wrists chained. Brown reportedly said the boy "has a tendency to run out of the house, especially when she's in the shower."
The Newark Police Special Victims Unit and Essex County Prosecutor's Office were investigating the case.
MORE: