Pa. mom who allegedly tossed baby off bridge, charged with murder

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Police say that a woman stopped along the Hamilton Street Bridge on Sunday and tossed her one-year old infant into the Lehigh River, reports CBS Philly.

Witnesses say that 19-year-old Johnesha Perry was pushing a stroller along the pedestrian path over the bridge, stopping mid-span and threw her child -- then herself -- overboard. Police told the station that the responding officers were able to rescue the child from the water and revive the boy.

Perry now faces charges of attempted homicide, assault and endangering welfare of child, according to CBS Philly. She is being held on $100,000 bail.

After the mother and her child went overboard, police began looking for the baby, according to Allentown police captain William Reinik.

"It took us about four minutes of trying to locate where this baby might be." Reinik told CBS Philly. "He was eventually found about 700 yards down river."

Meanwhile, the mother had reportedly collapsed on the bank after getting out of the river. Then, both Perry and her son were taken to the Lehigh Valley Hospital, according to the station.

As of Monday morning, the child remains in "very critical condition," Reinik says.

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