Fifty-six year old Jessie Joiner, a nurse at William Benenson Rehabilitation Pavilion in Queens, New York, was seen pushing a medication cart on March 20, 2010 around 9:00 p.m. when she suddenly left her cart and walked toward a dementia resident sitting in a wheelchair. The video reportedly shows Joiner grabbing the wheelchair, jerking it sharply to the left, and the eighty-five year old resident crashing to the floor, breaking her hip.

The nurse was seen walking past the severely injured resident twice before leaving the area. The resident is quite obviously injured and in need of assistance. According to video footage, the resident was lying on the floor for more than two minutes before another employee arrived. For over a minute after his arrival, he did nothing – not even reassuring the resident that assistance was coming. Finally, he was seen speaking to the resident.

Three full minutes after the fall, Joiner was seen returning and calls for help. A third employee arrives and the three employees approach the resident – more than four minutes after her initial fall. According to the Attorney General’s complaint, Joiner admitted knocking the resident from her wheelchair and failing to assist her. The complaint alleges that Joiner failed to report the incident until another staff member saw the resident.

Joiner faces charges of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person and willful violation of health laws. She has pleaded not guilty.