Man in Litchfield allegedly abused 5-month-old baby

LITCHFIELD, CT (WFSB) – A Litchfield man was caught on camera acting aggressively toward a toddler, according to state police.

Police said they arrested 34-year-old Matthew Ruzbasan on charges of willful cruelty to persons, endangering a child and first-degree reckless endangerment.

Police said they were dispatched to a home on Fern Avenue in Litchfield around 11:40 a.m. Thursday for a report of an incident involving “risk of injury to a child.”

When police arrived, they said they found Ruzbasan in the driveway of the house.

They asked him why they had been called.

Ruzbasan said he had no idea why they were there and that the other residents of the home would not speak to him.

“The officers then made contact with the complainant, who was sitting in a vehicle in the driveway holding a five-month-old child,” state police said. “The officers quickly observed that the complainant was visibly distraught as she began to explain what had happened.”

She explained to police officers that she heard the baby crying through the home's camera system and set the cameras to record after checking on the child's well-being.

She told state police that she suspected Ruzbasan may have abused the child.

“Upon reviewing the recorded footage, the plaintiff noticed that Ruzbasan was violent toward the toddler,” police said. “The plaintiff told police that she immediately left work when she realized what was happening and called state police on the way back to her residence.”

Upon her return, the plaintiff said nothing to Ruzbasan, took custody of the child, and waited in her vehicle until the state police arrived.

The police said they had reviewed the footage provided by the complainant, which showed Ruzbasan hitting the child on the bottom, forcibly pushing the child's feet towards the head and violently spinning the child around the room.

“The five-month-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and later transferred to a higher-level facility,” police said. “It was later determined that the victim did indeed sustain injuries as a result of Ruzbasan's behavior.”

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families was also informed of the incident.

After the investigation was completed, Ruzbasan was arrested on the spot without incident.

He was held on $100,000 bail and was scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on Friday.

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