Lindenhurst Daycare Teacher Indicted on Child Assault Charges at Tutor Time

Megan Marchena, 27, of Massapequa, was arraigned March 6 in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on an indictment charging her with two counts of second-degree assault, one count of third-degree assault, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced. Marchena, who was primarily responsible for teaching children under the age of two at Tutor Time in Lindenhurst, pleaded not guilty.

The most serious allegation centers on a February 24, 2025 naptime incident in which prosecutors say Marchena repeatedly tried to force a 17-month-old girl to sleep by pushing her face-first into her cot. The girl was rushed to a hospital and needed stitches. Marchena was arrested four days later.

As the investigation continued, detectives identified a second incident involving an 18-month-old boy who would not stay in bed during naptime. According to investigators, Marchena picked the boy up, carried him to his cot, and dropped him from standing height. Reports differ on the date of that incident, with one account placing it on January 10, 2025 and another on January 18, 2025; the discrepancy has not been publicly resolved.

Marchena's arrest triggered a wave of calls to Suffolk County Police. Parents, staff members at Tutor Time, and people connected to her former places of employment all contacted police alleging inappropriate behavior involving other children, prosecutors said. Prosecutors characterized the allegations as reflecting a disturbing pattern of behavior toward very young children.

"It is deeply unsettling that children so small and innocent were allegedly harmed by this defendant," Tierney said.

Marchena had previously pleaded not guilty to charges in Suffolk District Court connected to the February incident and has adamantly denied the allegations through her attorney, Steve Fondulis. A Plainedge High School graduate who studied early childhood education at SUNY Schenectady County Community College, she faces the new indictment charges as the case moves through Suffolk County Court.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Zachary Kelly of the Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Bureau. The investigation was conducted by Detective Lisa Hofelich of the Suffolk County Police Department's Special Victims Section.

Anyone who believes their child may have been a victim of Marchena is urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Department's Special Victims Section at (631) 852-6184.