Virginia nurse removed from the NICU after she allegedly broke infant black babies’ bones. Then the hospital put her back on the floor: ‘I get it now’
The footage put the nurse at the center of what happened to the babies
Premature babies need careful treatment in the hospital. Parents have to trust the nurses caring for them, especially when they cannot always stay by their side. But that trust can disappear when babies start suffering injuries no one can explain.
TikTok creator Alexis Rose (@travelingnurse) recently discussed former Virginia NICU nurse Erin Strotman. Strotman was accused of injuring Black premature babies at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Rose called it one of the most disturbing cases she had covered.
According to Rose, three Black infants were found with unexplained fractures in late 2024. Four other Black babies had suffered similar injuries earlier. For parents already worried when their premature babies need NICU care, what happened next made the case even harder to understand.
How did she end up back in the NICU?
Rose told viewers that Strotman was placed on paid administrative leave in 2023 after the earlier injuries. She returned to the NICU in September 2024, before more babies suffered fractures.
“You’re telling me you had a nurse that you knew was harming newborn, like, neonatal infants,” Rose asked, “and you put her back on the floor?”
However, authorities had not linked Strotman to the injuries at the time. Child Protective Services and Henrico police investigated the 2023 fractures but could not identify who was responsible.
Rose repeatedly identified the injured babies as Black. “Before you even ask, you know exactly what she looks like,” she said. However, authorities have not established a racial motive for the abuse.
By the time Rose posted her video in January 2025, Strotman had been arrested on Jan. 3 and was being held at Henrico County Jail. Rose told viewers that her next court date was March 24, as the criminal case was still developing.
Rose wanted the families to take further action. “I hope these families sue f*cking everybody,” she said. “I hope you sue everybody.” The case also changed her feelings about a comparison she had heard about her own profession.
“I used to get really defensive when people would say that nursing is the equivalent of cops for white ladies,” Rose told viewers. “But I get it now.”
The case continued to develop after Rose’s video. PEOPLE reported that Strotman ultimately faced nine child abuse counts involving premature babies at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. She pleaded no contest in January 2026.
Surveillance footage became important to the case. Prosecutors said it showed Strotman mishandling babies, causing broken bones and other injuries. The Virginia Board of Nursing also accused her of using “excessive force,” including heavy pressure on infants’ legs and abdomens and lifting them by their heads.
One injured baby, Noah Hackey, suffered a fractured tibia in the NICU in September 2023. His parents later received a letter saying a CPS investigation found he had been physically abused by a hospital NICU employee. The case raised serious questions about a child’s safety while under hospital care, especially when the patient is too young to speak for themselves.
Strotman’s attorneys maintained that she never intended to hurt the infants. They argued that her actions came from techniques she had learned while working in the NICU.
In June 2026, Strotman was sentenced to three years in prison. She received five years for each of the nine counts, totaling 45 years, but all except three years were suspended. Her nursing license was revoked, permanently barring her from working in healthcare.
HCA Virginia previously said it was “shocked and saddened” by developments in the investigation. The hospital system said it remained focused on caring for its patients and supporting employees affected by the case.
Viewers reacting to Rose’s video were horrified. “How could this even be possible?!” one person asked. Another wrote, “I don’t even have words… those poor babies.”
A NICU cuddler shared the same disbelief. “When they scream, cry, thrash, etc my only goal is to soothe them back to sleep,” they wrote. “Those poor innocent souls.”
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