1-year-old baby abandoned in Times Square, NYPD says
A 1-year-old baby girl was found in a stroller alone in New York City's Times Square on Tuesday night.
A police source said the baby's father abandoned her just after 10 p.m. near West 44th Street and Broadway. Police were responding to a 911 call of a possible crime when they found her.
She was conscious and alert and was taken to Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital for evaluation.
No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
Search continues for the baby's father
A police source said the mother was located, interviewed by police, and released from custody without charges. The father, however, is still being sought for possible charges of abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child less than 17 years old.
A police source said the father, mother and child live in a homeless shelter and that the father got into an argument with the mother, prompting him to walk away with the child, but while the stroller was being pushed, it tipped over and was left behind with the child inside.
Bader Riko, a street vendor, said his colleague witnessed the child being abandoned.
"[I saw the] carriage and I don't know what happened. Somebody call police. Officer come in here and ambulance coming, too, and take it," Riko said.
Laws on abandoning newborns
New York State law allows parents to anonymously abandon a newborn up to 30 days of age. The child must be left in a safe, designated place, and the parent must notify a person of the baby's location. Examples of designated safe places include hospitals, police stations and fire stations.
For children older than 30 days, parents can contact an Administration for Children's Services (ACS) field office to transfer custody or give up parental rights, according to the city's website.
It's a felony to abandon a child under the age of 14.
New Jersey and Connecticut also have similar laws.
