By Chauncey Alcorn
A local woman’s baby girl, 11 months old, is in critical condition tonight after the woman’s boyfriend, who was baby-sitting, poured scalding-hot water on the child to stop her from crying, according to the Queens District Attorney’s office.
Anthony Parra, 20, of 31-29 73rd St. in Jackson Heights, was arrested Wednesday evening and was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday night on assault and child endangerment charges for the alleged incident, which investigators said took place early Wednesday morning, when the child’s mother was at work. Parra faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Investigators said Parra was watching the victim and her 2-year-old sister in his apartment around 3 a.m., Wednesday, when the youngest child woke up crying. They said Parra tried to bottle-feed the baby, but she refused and kept crying. He then took her into the shower for 20 minutes, twice turning up the temperature of the water, according to reports.
Investigators said when the baby’s skin began turning red, Parra tried scrubbing it with a sponge, which caused her skin to peel. Parra then went into the kitchen and ran hot water from the sink into a pan, which he allegedly poured over the baby while she was on all fours in the shower.
Investigators said Parra put some kind of cream and alcohol on the baby’s burns before taking her to the hospital. An NYPD spokesman said officers were called around 4:50 a.m. Wednesday to New York Hospital Queens for a suspected case of child abuse, where a doctor told them the baby received second degree burns on 30 percent of her body and will be permanently scarred as a result.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said this is the 10th case of violence against children in Queens during the last six months.
“The fragility of a small child cannot be emphasized enough,” he said. “There is no excuse for these senseless attacks. The defendants in these cases must be severely punished.”
Reach reporter Chauncey Alcorn by e-mail at calcorn@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
