Originally Posted by bursa
If F/A saw him, could they report him to the cops for child abuse? Is this even abuse or negligence?
I think you'll find the offence is one of "reckless endangerment" given the potential major injuries the child could have suffered. It is certainly something he could have been arrested for and even if the child was not injured in certain states he could still have been jailed for his actions. In Massachusetts for example, the code says;
Reckless Endangerment to Children:
Mass. General Laws chapter 265, section 13L.
Since 1993 it has been a felony punishable by up to 5 years in state prison for any person with temporary or permanent responsibility for the care of a child under age 14 to “wantonly or recklessly” permit such child to suffer substantial bodily injury (Mass. General Laws chapter 265, section 13J). As of December 11, 2002, it is a crime punishable by up to 2½ years in jail for any person (whether responsible for the care of the child or not), by his or her actions or failure to act when obliged to, to “wantonly or recklessly” create “a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or sexual abuse” to a child under the age of 14 (and in certain circumstances under the age of 18).
Of course in other places like Berlin, authorities tend to be a bit more lenient in cases of reckless endangerment as Michael Jackson will confirm.