Nurse ‘Choke Slammed’ Baby In Newtown; Then Another Agency Hired Her: Lawsuit

A home health nurse has been accused of abusing multiple medically fragile children in her care, according to separate criminal filings. A new lawsuit claims there were warning signs before both incidents.

Cindy Desser was charged last week with child endangerment after authorities say she abused a child with severe medical conditions in Bensalem.

Desser, 57, of Jamison, is facing similar charges in Delaware County, filed last year. The charges were filed after Desser “choke slammed” a baby against her crib in Newtown Square, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the baby’s parents.

At the time, Desser worked for Team Select Home Care — a home health care nursing agency based in Conshohocken, the lawsuit says.

The victim — a baby identified in the lawsuit as Z.N. — was less than 2 years old when Desser assaulted her last May, according to the civil complaint.

Z.N. was born with severe medical conditions and is missing the lower half of her left ribs, abdominal muscles and her left lung. She began her life hospitalized for over nine months, enduring six significant surgeries.

When Z.N. was discharged home in late 2024, she was ventilator-dependent and required 24/7 nursing care. One of her nurses was Desser, assigned by Team Select to care for her five nights a week starting in early 2025, the lawsuit says.

Z.N. is nonverbal. But her heart and respiratory rates spiked every night Desser was there, indicating she was fearful and anxious, the complaint states.

A few weeks before the assault, Team Select contacted the child’s mother and expressed concerns that Desser wasn’t recording data during her shifts with Z.N., the lawsuit says.

At different points, Desser slept through audible alerts indicating drops in the baby’s oxygen levels, according to the complaint.

On May 25, Z.N. sat up in her crib as a medical alert sounded. Desser “got up from her chair, visibly frustrated that she had to leave her computer to Z.N., and approached her crib,” the complaint says.

Then, Desser placed both hands on the baby’s shoulders and neck area and “forcefully” slammed her down into her crib, the lawsuit says.

After Desser turned to walk back to her chair, another medical alert sounded. Desser then grabbed Z.N. by her throat and slammed her into her crib so hard that a medical-monitoring device was shaken off a nearby table, the lawsuit says.

Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, the lawsuit representing Z.N.’s parents, shared a video with the allegations they outlined. Viewer discretion is advised. Here is the video.

Z.N.’s parents watched the incident through their Ring camera and ran into the baby’s room. They immediately reported Desser and contacted local authorities, the lawsuit says.

Desser was later arrested and charged with child endangerment, recklessly endangering another person, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of simple assault. She was also reported to the state licensing board.

Before Team Select hired Desser, she had “a long history of bouncing around numerous different home healthcare agencies,” the lawsuit says.

She had separated from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on poor terms and was fired from Bayada Home Health Care for improperly treating a medically compromised child, the complaint states.

The lawsuit centers around Desser’s work in Newtown Square. But the complaint claims that, before the Bensalem incident, another home health agency hired her while she was out on bail and assigned her to care for a medically compromised toddler in Bucks County.

Team Select and Desser are named as defendants in the lawsuit. Desser’s attorney declined comment through a representative, and Patch’s efforts to contact Team Select were unsuccessful.

Desser remains jailed in Bucks County after failing to post bail. She is awaiting trial on the criminal charges in Delaware County.