Cranberry day care worker charged with assaulting 3-year-old boy during naptime

A Cranberry day care worker is charged with assaulting a 3-year-old boy during naptime.

According to court paperwork, 26-year-old Joshua Branstetter was charged with endangering the welfare of children and simple assault after police said he injured a 3-year-old boy at Allie Alligator on Commerce Park Drive. 

Police said the investigation into Branstetter began after they got a ChildLine report at the end of May. Investigators said they learned that shortly before 1 p.m. on May 22, Branstetter, an assistant group supervisor at the day care, was sitting with a boy during naptime.

Police said Branstetter, who had his hand on the boy's back, forcefully pushed the boy back down onto his bed, causing him to hit his face off the bedframe. 

"The push was so forceful that Branstetter's leg lifted off the ground and he rocked himself forward," police wrote in the criminal complaint. "Additionally, the force caused the bed to move forward a few inches" when the victim's head "forcefully struck the frame of the bed," police wrote. 

The boy had injuries to his left eye, including swelling, and he needed medical evaluation, the criminal complaint says. 

KDKA-TV reached out to Allie Alligator for a statement about Branstetter and his current employment status but hasn't heard back.