2-year-old boy strangled by string at San Jose home day care center

A San Jose home day care center is under state investigation after a 2-year-old toddler accidentally strangled himself.

The string of a hooded sweatshirt the boy was wearing apparently got caught between boards of a play structure while he played with other children in the back yard of the home day care center on North Claremont Avenue in Alum Rock, law enforcement sources told the Mercury News.

Investigators for the California Department of Social Services, which issues licenses to day care centers in homes, inspected the Alum Rock home after the boy's death on May 21. The state issued a citation for a violation that state officials would not specify.

"This is an active investigation and we'll take any action that is necessary and appropriate," said Oscar Ramirez, spokesman for the state Social Services Department.