In Orange, Connecticut, a 40-year-old woman named Lydia Lungile from Newark, N.J., was arrested on charges of abuse for neglecting an elderly man under her care. According to police, Lungile ignored the man after he fell out of his bed, leading to her arrest on Wednesday. She has been charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons.
The arrest came after months of investigation by the Norwalk Police Department’s special victims unit. In November 2023, they received a report of elder abuse involving a man at the Fairfield Family Care Center in Norwalk. The man had been left unattended and injured after falling out of his bed during the night.
After speaking with witnesses and gathering evidence, detectives concluded that Lungile, responsible for the man’s care, had ignored him. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and she was located and apprehended with the help of the United States Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force.
Lungile’s bond was set at $125,000, and she is scheduled to appear before a judge on June 5. Fairfield Family Care Center has been providing elderly care services in Stamford, Conn., and surrounding areas for over 25 years. Lungile, who was recently hired by the company, was terminated immediately after the incident.
A spokesperson for the company stated that Lungile had taken an allergy pill that made her drowsy and prevented her from responding to the situation promptly. They did not provide any further comments to the media regarding this matter.
