5 girls charged in sitter probe

Five juvenile girls are facing a witness intimidation charge related to a police investigation into two baby sitters accused of recording themselves stuffing a crying baby into a refrigerator and posting the video online, authorities said.

The five girls — including one of the baby sitters — were arraigned in Lynn Juvenile Court yesterday on one count of witness intimidation, according to Essex District Attorney spokeswoman Carrie Kimball Monahan. The girls’ names weren’t released because of their ages.

The witness intimidation charges stem from an investigation into two girls who Danvers police say posted a video to Snapchat Aug. 7 that showed them laughing while putting the crying baby into the refrigerator and closing the door. The video, which was picked up by news outlets around the country, appeared to show the girls putting the crying infant sideways into a shelf inside the refrigerator, closing the door and laughing while the baby can be heard screaming inside.

After several seconds, the girls can be seen taking the baby back out of the appliance and one of them can be heard laughing and saying, “See, she’s OK.”

The two girls are facing charges of child endangerment and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

In a statement after the girls’ arrest, the state’s Department of Children and Families said the agency “received a report on this situation and is investigating in collaboration with law enforcement.”

In an interview with WCVB-TV (Ch. 5), the child’s mother identified one of the baby sitters as her niece.