Six Toddlers Found Wandering Alone on Street After Escaping Petah Tikva Daycare

Six toddlers, aged around two, were discovered wandering alone on the streets of Petah Tikva after leaving their daycare facility unattended. The incident led to two police complaints and the detention of two staff members for questioning. The women, residents of the city in their 40s and 50s, were questioned and released under restrictive conditions.

The investigation is focused on how the children managed to exit the facility and reach the street without adult supervision. Police were alerted on Sunday by a citizen who spotted the toddlers, some riding toy cars, wandering alone. Officers who arrived at the scene located the children and returned them to their parents.

One mother described how far the children had strayed, with three reaching about a kilometer from the daycare, crossing a pedestrian crossing, and ending up near a busy road. She expressed shock at the lapse in security, fearing her child could have been hit by a car or abducted. The mother reported that on the morning of the incident, only one staff member was in the yard with over 20 children, while two others were cleaning the floor. The exit gate, she stated, was left open.

The children were discovered during a search for a missing toy car. Another mother looking for a toy for her son realized several children were missing from the daycare premises. Initially, three toddlers were found nearby, one near an emergency gate and two in a playground. A further 15-minute search located the remaining three children about a kilometer away.

The incident has been reported to municipal and early childhood education officials. The mother is demanding a thorough investigation into how the children could have left unsupervised, expressing a loss of confidence in the daycare's ability to ensure her child's safety. Police investigations are ongoing.