Two daycare teacher's assistants are facing felony child endangerment charges after Bergen County authorities say they assaulted two children at a Hackensack facility earlier this month. Deily E. Perez, 49, of the Bronx, and Chillyann V. Spencer, 24, of Paterson, each face two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the alleged abuse took place at the Hackensack daycare on Wednesday, September 9, and state child welfare officials were not notified until two days later. The New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency contacted Bergen County prosecutors on September 11 to report the alleged physical assault of two juveniles at the facility, prompting a criminal investigation, as NJ.com reported.
Arrests Followed Days-Long Investigation
Investigators with the prosecutor's Special Victims Unit and the Hackensack Police Department arrested Perez and Spencer last Wednesday, September 16. Both were held at the Bergen County Jail before their release, and detectives allege the two women assaulted both children while working as teacher's assistants, per NJ.com. The joint probe was led by Special Victims Unit Chief Jeff Angermeyer and Hackensack Police Chief Michael Antista, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.
Perez and Spencer appeared in Bergen County Superior Court on Thursday, where both were released after their hearing. As Daily Voice reported, the pair spent roughly two days in custody between their arrest and their court appearance and release.
Why No Cash Bail Was Required
Under New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2017, traditional monetary bail was eliminated statewide in favor of individualized risk assessments, which allow defendants facing non-capital felony charges — including second-degree offenses — to be released pending trial rather than held on bond, as Hoodline has previously explained. That framework is why Perez and Spencer were released despite facing felony counts that carry significant prison exposure if convicted.
Authorities have not disclosed the name of the daycare business where the alleged assault occurred, nor have they detailed what specific actions constituted the alleged physical abuse or exactly how the initial report reached child welfare officials. Those details remain outstanding as the case moves through the courts.
What New Jersey Law Says About the Charges
Second-degree endangering the welfare of a child under N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4 carries a mandatory prison sentence of five to 10 years and potential fines of up to $150,000 per count upon conviction, according to the Jonathan F. Marshall Law Offices. The charge is elevated from a third-degree offense to second-degree under N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a(2) specifically because it applies to someone who holds a legal duty or assumed caregiving responsibility for a child — a threshold that daycare staff meet by virtue of their jobs, per Passaic County Criminal Lawyers.
The case also illustrates how New Jersey's mandatory reporting statute functions in practice. Under N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10, anyone with reasonable cause to suspect child abuse is required to report it immediately to state child welfare officials, who then refer criminal allegations to prosecutor Special Victims Units — the same pipeline that appears to have routed this case from the Division of Child Protection & Permanency to Bergen County investigators.
Resources for Parents Checking Daycare Records
The New Jersey Department of Children and Families Office of Licensing conducts mandatory annual inspections of licensed child care centers and posts compliance records, including any substantiated abuse findings, on ChildCareNJ.gov. Parents can search facility histories directly through the state's public database. Institutional abuse allegations in care settings statewide are also tracked through the Department of Children and Families' Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit, which applies formal evidence standards before substantiating claims, according to the department.
The allegations against Perez and Spencer remain unproven in court, and no trial date has been announced. Neither woman's attorney was named in available records.
