A newborn baby girl with her umbilical cord attached was found unattended at a New York City subway station during the Monday morning rush in Manhattan, police said.
Following an anonymous call, the NYPD said the child was discovered wrapped in a sheet at around 9:30 a.m. on the steps leading down to the southbound 1, 2 and 3 trains at the 34th Street and Seventh Avenue stop at Penn Station. Investigators closed off the stairwell to collect evidence.
The girl was conscious, alert and did not appear to have any injuries, police said. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
A newborn baby girl was found wrapped in a sheet at a subway station during the morning rush in Manhattan, police say.
CBS News New York
“Miracle on 34th Street”
Investigators are trying to determine how long the baby was left on the steps before she was found, and locate the responsible party, or parties. Police said there was no sign of the baby’s mother. Investigators are now reviewing surveillance video from inside the station to determine who may have left the child.
Police said no evidence has been found indicating the baby having been born in the station, and nothing indicates the birth was on a train.
MTA New York City Transit president Demetrius Crichlow praised police officers who took the newborn to the hospital themselves instead of waiting for paramedics to respond.
“Just grateful for the work of the NYPD in responding and caring for the baby,” Crichlow said. “I’m calling it the ‘Miracle on 34th Street.'”
“I don’t know how someone could do that to a little baby. It’s really sad,” commuter Hibah Agha said. “It’s really unsanitary. It’s really unsafe to just leave the poor baby out here. I’m glad someone was able to do something about it.”
“I’m a new parent. My girl is 16 months. So I can’t imagine the desperation that they must’ve felt to do that,” commuter Susan Lee said.
“That’s insane, honestly. I’m so sorry to hear that,” commuter Louis Ospjna said.
“Safe haven” laws
It is a felony to abandon a child under the age of 14. New York State’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act allows a parent to abandon a newborn baby up to 30 days of age anonymously, if the child is left in a “safe haven,” like a fire station, police station or hospital, and in a safe manner.
New Jersey and Connecticut have similar laws in place.
On Long Island, Nassau County Police Capt. Timothy Jaccard helped pioneer safe haven laws nationwide. He said it all started in the late 1990s, as a paramedic responding to numerous, heartbreaking calls involving deceased newborns.
“I was willing to bury the babies that were murdered to give them dignity, but the best dignity I could give them now is to try to stop it and that’s what I do,” Jaccard said. “It has been my life’s work.”
He founded AMT Children of Hope Foundation, which works endlessly to educate and prevent the abandonment of infants. He said the foundation has helped thousands of babies across the country, and added his phone is always on.
“Don’t be afraid, call. Get that baby and bring that baby into safety,” Jaccard said.