The NYPD is searching for a woman captured on video who is suspected of abandoning a newborn baby girl on a Bronx doorstep early Sunday morning.
Surveillance footage shows the woman walking down the street in Longwood carrying a green tote bag containing the infant, who was wrapped in sheets. She left the baby outside a residence at 1102 Rev. James A. Polite Ave. at around 6:05 a.m., police said.
Residents of the home discovered the infant shortly afterward and alerted authorities. Police and EMS responded to the scene, and the baby was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. The newborn is in stable condition and remains under the care of hospital staff.
The Bronx Times spoke with Fatou Sarr, who lives in the three-unit home. She said she went out to walk shortly after 6 a.m. and was surprised to find police officers outside asking if she saw a baby. “I was scared. I never hear that in my life,” she said.
Sarr said she never saw the baby, only the police. When asked if she had any idea why someone chose her doorstep to leave the infant, she said she had no idea.
“It’s crazy. I don’t know why [the mother] did that,” Sarr said.
Under New York State’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act, parents may surrender an infant up to 30 days old without facing charges, provided the baby is left safely at a designated location, such as a hospital, police precinct, or fire station.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Spanish-speaking residents can call 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). All calls remain confidential.
This story was updated at 3:00 p.m. to include comment from Sarr.
