Police detained two daycare staff members for questioning Monday after toddlers left a Petah Tikva childcare facility and were found riding toy cars on a nearby street without adult supervision, Israel Police announced on Tuesday.
Police said the women, Petah Tikva residents in their 40s and 50s, were released after questioning under restrictive conditions. The announcement did not specify those conditions or identify the suspected offenses.
The investigation began Sunday after police received a report of young children wandering alone near the facility. Officers arrived, located the toddlers and arranged for them to be returned to their parents.
Investigators have since taken statements, collected evidence, and used technological tools to examine the circumstances, police said.
Earlier reports by N12 and Walla, drawing on a mother’s account, described children aged about two leaving the daycare, with three reportedly reaching roughly a kilometer away. According to that account, the three crossed at a pedestrian crossing and reached an area near a busy road before a member of the public spotted them and called police.
The six children were all located and safely returned
Both outlets reported that six children had left the premises and that all were located. The mother told N12 that about 15 minutes after dropping off her son on Sunday morning, the daycare manager called to say he had left the premises and staff could not find him. She described suddenly having to search for a child she had just entrusted to the facility’s care.
According to the account carried by N12 and Walla, one staff member was supervising more than 20 children in the yard while two others washed the floor. Another mother’s search for a ride-on toy led to the discovery that the exit gate was open and children were missing.
The mother said four children left on ride-on toys and two on foot. One girl was found on steps near the daycare’s emergency gate and two other children in a public playground. She said the remaining three were located after a search lasting about 15 minutes.
N12 and Walla further reported that municipal and supervisory officials, including personnel responsible for early childhood education in Petah Tikva, were informed. The mother called for a thorough examination of how the children were able to leave and for measures to prevent another incident.