If there’s ever anything that can be universally agreed upon, it should be that there is nothing
more important than the safety of our children. Whatever race, ethnicity, color, creed, or religion
one might be, the basic moral obligation to protect our young ones should be at the forefront of
all our value systems. Unfortunately, there are always bad actors out in the world, and that
includes those who are willing to sacrifice the basic safety of children for some misguided
reason or motivation. Just last week, the Town of Clarkstown received an urgent reminder of
just how dangerous it can be when people ignorantly or willfully disregard the safety laws and
regulations in place to protect our most vulnerable. On July 7, 2025, our fire inspector, police,
and code enforcement teams executed a search warrant on an illegally operating daycare for
young children, at 86 and 96 Maple Avenue in New City. Among the horrific conditions
discovered at Morah Chany’s Daycare were 30 cribs, along with children’s names and sleep
schedules, located in the unfinished, windowless basement of a vape shop at 96 Maple Avenue.
There was only one ingress/egress to the dank and dingy room where these infants were being
kept, situated down a flight of stairs and behind a locked gate at the end of a driveway. Access
to this area was further blocked off from emergency service vehicle access by a dumpster
placed across the driveway. At least 69 children and 21 staff members were counted in a
building with a maximum occupancy of 33.
With the assistance of Rockland County Child Protective Services, this facility was shut down
while the Town pursued a temporary restraining order in Supreme Court. That restraining order
was granted a few days later and the facility remains shuttered today. The Town of Clarkstown
is pursuing civil, criminal, and administrative penalties in court to ensure the correction of these
egregious conditions. This reckless disregard for safety should not be tolerated anywhere, and it
certainly will not be tolerated in the Town of Clarkstown.
Both properties are owned by Aron Altman, under two LLCs known as 86 Maple NC LLC and 96
Maple NC LLC, and Congregation Morah Chany with a listed address in Spring Valley. 86
Maple had been issued a Certificate of Occupancy for a house of worship, and the owners had
begun the process of applying for a special permit to operate a daycare as an accessory use.
The applicant appeared at a meeting of the Town’s Technical Advisory Committee regarding the
daycare use but never went any further and never received approval to operate. In addition to
operating without a permit from the Town of Clarkstown, the matter has been referred to the
New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), who has indicated that the
Morah Chany facility was not licensed through the state. At the Town’s request, a formal
investigation is now underway by OCFS, which is the agency that oversees and regulates day
cares in New York State and can levy fines and other actions on their own accord.
The Town’s inspection uncovered a host of violations of town zoning, fire codes, and building
codes, as well as violations of the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Codes. Among the
charges were violations for storing flammable liquids such as paint cans, gasoline cans and
propane cylinders in the non-habitable, unventilated basement where the infants napped. All
sheet rock had been removed from these walls, leaving exposed nails and wiring. The
basement housed exposed gas utilities, offered no natural light, and the cribs were in close
proximity to flammable material such as a gas can, propane gas, and paint. Additional violations
were issued for improper wiring, improper use of extension cords, multiple broken exit doors,
illegally constructed interior walls, and illegally removed walls. The playground area, improperly
sited behind the building at 96 Maple, was locked on the outside at two entry points by
combination locks. Both buildings presented critical fire risks to all the occupants and our first
responders. In addition to all this, part of the parking lot at 86 Maple was being used illegally for
a U-Haul rental business.
I’m incredibly thankful for the quick work of all the town, county, and state departments and
agencies in making sure this incredibly dangerous facility was shut down as quickly as possible.
At the same time, it’s deeply disturbing that any parent would potentially place a child in a facility
without first doing a thorough walk-through and vetting process. When looking for child care,
parents should visit each setting in person to make sure the program is the right fit for their
child. Visiting allows you to see firsthand how the program operates, what your child will
experience during a typical day, and how the teachers interact and work with children.
We must all look out for each other, so if you see something amiss going on somewhere, please
don’t hesitate to report it via the Town’s app or to my office at 845-639-2050.
The Town will pursue these types of crimes and violations with every recourse available. We will
not allow these operations in Clarkstown and we will not allow any entity to endanger children.
Again, if you see something that doesn’t look right, please report it immediately to the Town.
