NEW CITY − An illegal day care center kept an estimated 69 children between 3 months and 5 years old near combustible materials in a basement of a Maple Avenue building, Clarkstown officials said on Wednesday, July 9, and in court papers.
After Rockland Child Protective Services closed the day care center on Tuesday, July 8, Clarkstown officials asked a state judge to permanently close the day care facility at 86 and 96 Maple Ave. until the buildings meet town zoning and state fire and safety codes.
Officials said inspectors found a basement of 96 Maple Ave. filled with dozens of cribs. The sleeping area was set up near a boiler, propane tanks, paint cans, other combustible materials, and loose electrical wiring. The basement had one way to enter or exit.
“Those conditions were horrific,” Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann said at a news conference in Town Hall, describing how the children were endangered and potentially could have died in an emergency, like a fire or explosion.
“There was one way in and one way out,” Hoehmann said, raising his voice when urging parents to be more aware of where they leave their children.
“I don’t know what these people were thinking,” he said of the operators. “They would never been allowed to use the basement,” he added, if they had sought a permit for a day care facility.
Officials: Illegal day care operated under smoke shop
Clarkstown officials held a news conference on Wednesday to outline their case against Congregation Morah Chany for operating a day care center without permits, and Aron Altman, who owns both limited liability companies and the two properties. The buildings are separated by an alleyway, down the block from the Clarkstown Town Hall and the police department.
Clarkstown police Chief Jeffrey Wanamaker said detectives and juvenile aide officers are conducting a criminal investigation into the properties.
The properties contained a smoke shop, a truck rental operation and a tailor shop. The day care was in the basement under the smoke shop.
Hoehmann estimated the day care center had been open for less than two weeks. He said the town got tipped off by residents, sent in inspectors, and called in Rockland Child Protective Services on Tuesday. The county agency closed down the day care center and evacuated the children and staff with the help of police and fire department.
Clarkstown officials then sought an injunction order in New York State Supreme Court against the congregation and Aron Altman.
Other unpermitted day care centers closed in Rockland
Clarkstown’s discovery of children being kept in dangerous conditions comes after similar enforcement at day care centers in Ramapo and Spring Valley. The municipalities or Rockland County moved to close the facilities in April and May after finding unsanitary or dangerous conditions there, including lack of power, lack of fire alarm systems or loose electrical wiring.
The cases are pending in court.
What else did Clarkstown, CPS find at day care center, other businesses?
Clarkstown officials have been quick during the past few years to seek Supreme Court orders closing down illegal housing and facilities and seeking heavy fines.
Morah Chany Daycare opened illegally, without any permits or a certificate of occupancy from the town. The building at 96 Maple Ave. was legally operating with a vape shop, but not as a day care center, officials said.
The fact that the Maple Avenue sites involved children put the town’s enforcement process into overdrive as officials closed down the day care facility, evacuated children and staff and notified parents, Hoehmann said.
The town’s court papers cited babies napping in the basement of the building, overcrowding, loose electrical wires, dangling extension cords and makeshift walls creating rooms. The operators fenced off a play area between the two buildings and padlocked the entrance. An inspector said the smoke shop operator heard crying in the basement of 96 Maple Ave.
Clarkstown code enforcement officer Raymond Francis observed the illegal operation for several days prior to its closure. He said he eventually found 30 cribs with blankets, diapers, wipes, and a change table in the day care center, court papers say. Each crib had notations on feeding times for the staff.
“The cribs were near flammable material such as a gasoline can, propane gas, and paint,” Francis said in court papers.
Francis said the situation was dangerous from a traffic perspective as well, with cars stopping in the street and the elimination of parking near the buildings.
An inspection in June found that the U-Haul operation on the properties utilized 10 parking spots for four large vehicles and three trailers, and lacked a certificate of occupancy, the court papers state.
The town’s legal papers say 86 Maple Ave. is permitted for use as a house of worship for a maximum of 33 worshipers, but not as a day care center or a U-Haul truck depot.
Hoehmann said officials don’t know if Altman or the congregation ever held religious services.
Congregation had OK for house of worship, sought a day care permit
Congregation Morah Chany applied in September 2024 for a special permit to operate a day care center with three classrooms, 54 students, and nine staff members. But the congregation never completed the process when asked for additional information, and opened the day care anyway, Hoehmann said.
Clarkstown is asking a judge to enjoin the congregation and Altman from the use and operation of the premises except in conformity with any certificates of occupancy.
“The premises as they are presently used make the building dangerous to the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the Town of Clarkstown and the immediate occupants of said building,” the court papers state.
Read the court papers below.
Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rockland daycare closed after 69 kids left in ‘dangerous’ conditions, officials say
Reporting by Steve Lieberman, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
