Hoboken Nanny Gets Prison Time for Abuse Caught on Hidden Cam

A Hoboken nanny who was charged with aggravated assault last year after she slapped, kicked and dropped a 6-month-old baby in her care has been sentenced to three years in prison, her defense attorney said Thursday. 

Dechen Kyiden, a 23-year-old Chinese native, was sentenced in Hudson County Superior Court in Jersey City, according to her defense attorney, Jef Henninger.

In the summer of 2011, Kyiden was hired through Sittercity.com by a Hoboken couple living in Maxwell Place to babysit their 6-month old boy.

In August 2011, the couple reported to police that the nanny had slapped the child and dropped him, police said. The abuse was captured on a nanny-cam, according to police reports.

Kyiden is eligible for a parole hearing in about six or seven months, Henninger said, which means she may be freed from jail sooner.

Henninger said the child did not suffer any long lasting injuries.

Kyiden is currently being held at the Hudson County Jail where she has remained for about three months, said Henninger.

The case didn't go to trial, Henninger said, adding it would have been a hard case to defend before a jury because such a small child was involved in the "unique crime."

Kyiden was charged with aggravated assault and endangerment of a child, crimes that typically carry ten years in prison. A compromise was reached in Hudson County Superior Court that resulted in the three-year prison sentence, Henninger said. 

Kyiden is not a United States citizen, Henninger said. He did not know what the case would mean for her immigration status.