Nurse Naomi Derrick voluntarily agreed to surrender her license while the alleged incident is investigated

New Jersey Nurse Accused of Repeatedly Stabbing Boy with Autism, 10, with Hypodermic Needle As Punishment

A New Jersey nurse who allegedly told a 10-year-old boy with autism she would “give him the needle” if he did not behave, then stabbed him with a hypodermic syringe “sometimes repeatedly,” has been suspended, according to documents filed by the state Office of the Attorney General and obtained by PEOPLE.

Nurse Naomi Derrick’s alleged actions – “each time drawing droplets of blood” as she stabbed the boy and bent his finger backward until it cracked – were captured on video and/or witnessed by another employee at the inpatient psychiatric unit of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s City Campus in Atlantic City, the New Jersey attorney general’s office says.

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“A developmentally disabled child, confined to a psychiatric ward under the supervision of nurses, is as vulnerable a patient as you can find,” said Acting Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino, who filed a complaint with the state Board of Nursing accusing Derrick of gross negligence, professional misconduct, and incompetence in her treatment of the child.

The Atlantic County prosecutor’s office also is conducting a criminal investigation.

“Instead of caring for this boy and protecting him from harm, as was her duty, Naomi Derrick allegedly used her position of authority to bully and assault him,” Porrino said. “There is no place in the healthcare profession for this kind of barbaric behavior.”

Derrick voluntarily agreed to the temporary suspension of her license “without making admissions” of guilt or innocence while the matter is investigated, the documents show.

Her attorney, John A. Zohlman, who reviewed and signed the suspension agreement along with Derrick, could not immediately be reached for comment.

A statement to PEOPLE from the hospital reads: “We are appalled and deeply saddened that this occurred.”

“As soon as we became aware of this situation we notified the child’s family as well as law enforcement and regulatory authorities,” the statement says. “We suspended and terminated the nurse involved, who worked full time at a state psychiatric hospital and was a pool employee at AtlantiCare.”

“Because this is now a criminal investigation, it is not appropriate for us to comment further,” the statement says.

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Alleged Repeated Instances of Abuse

Derrick was the boy’s assigned nurse during the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift at the hospital on May 15, when the alleged observed incidents took place, as described in documents filed with the nursing board.

In a series of alleged incidents, according to the attorney general’s office, “Derrick several times brandished the syringe in a menacing manner and threatened the boy that she would ‘give him the needle’ if he did not behave.”

The filed documents allege that Derrick stabbed the boy with the unsheathed hypodermic needle “sometimes repeatedly” on at least six occasions throughout the day, poking his upper arm, thigh, kneecaps, foot and hand, “each time drawing droplets of blood.”

The documents further allege: “Derrick also attempted to force compliance from the boy by stepping on his bare foot with her shoe, forcing him to fall by repeatedly shoving a chair he was holding onto, and bending his pinky finger back until a crack was heard.”

Following a July 12 hearing and subsequent agreement with the nursing board, Derrick voluntarily surrendered her license and is barred from further practice pending further action by the board or resolution of any criminal charges that may result.

“Naomi Derrick will have no access to patients – child or adult– while these appalling allegations against her are pending,” said Steve Lee, director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.