On CCTV, US Babysitter Hits Children With Belt, Uses Horror Costumes To Scare Them

A video has gone viral showing a New York babysitter repeatedly beating three children with a belt. La'keysha Jackson, a city-funded babysitter, also scaring them with a spooky Santa Claus costume, The NY Post reported.

She routinely abused three children under the age of six, a family claimed, adding they had it all on CCTV footage.

A year ago, the 24-year-old began working for Geraldine Jaramillo through a contractor funded by the city's Administration for Children's Services (ACS). The service assigns babysitters to low-income families to help with childcare.

The single Bronx mother claimed that she became aware of Jackson's abusive behaviour last month when the children's grandmother, who lives in Pennsylvania, inspected a home security camera in the bedroom.

The grandmother was appalled to discover the babysitter was abusing the boys, who were two, four, and six years old.

The video showed Jackson hitting two of the wailing kids almost 60 times. The caregiver appears to be slapping the children on their buttocks and holding their small arms while they attempt to block the blows.

New York City-funded babysitter caught on camera beating three children with a belt in footage obtained by the New York Post.

Horrific.

In the footage, 24-year-old La'keysha Jackson could be seen taunting the kids with a belt before making them bend over pic.twitter.com/xdLG8RValZ

— CHUKWE (@chukwe) June 2, 2025

In the footage, the abusive babysitter is heard complaining that the two elder children, four and six years old, had not cleaned their room. She was later seen taking out a heavy brown belt from a cross-body bag.

Jackson also donned a Santa Claus costume that Ms Jaramillo found in her house and a hideous Halloween mask from the graphic slasher movie 'Terrifier II', attempting to scare the children.

In the wake of the startling May 6 occurrence, Ms Jaramillo told The Post, "We went to the hospital, called the police, and filed the report."

According to the mother, the babysitter allegedly verbally and emotionally abused the children, "hitting them with the [clothes] hangers, hitting them with belts, throwing the baby."

Jackson has not yet been taken into custody, said the family, even after they reported the horrific behaviour to ACS and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and filed a complaint against her on what would be considered felony charges.

Ms Jaramillo's lawyer filed a notice of claim on Monday, stating that she intended to sue Jackson over her abusive behaviour.

She claimed that following the May 6 incident, ACS conducted a home visit, apologised after viewing the footage, and then launched an investigation against her rather than Jackson because she did not have the papers from the children's hospital visit that day.