Baby found abandoned in hallway of Yonkers, N.Y. apartment building
YONKERS, N.Y. -- There was a shocking discovery in the hallway of a Yonkers apartment building on Tuesday night -- an infant was found abandoned.
Investigators are now searching for the baby's mother.
Louis Hernandez lives inside the multi-family home along Chestnut Street. According to Yonkers police, that's where a baby girl only a few days old was found abandoned at around 8:30 p.m.
Hernandez said in Spanish the he and the other tenants were surprised to find the baby inside the hallway because they did not think anyone living inside their complex was pregnant. He said they found the child wrapped in a sheet and then called police, adding there are no cameras inside or outside their building.
Investigators were seen going door to door in the neighborhood speaking to residents on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said it is unclear who the mother or father of the child is or if they lived at 32 Chestnut St. They said they are not labeling the incident a crime just yet, as they're focused on locating the baby's parents and determining why she was abandoned.
"We don't want to label it as a crime and not garner cooperation, because, to us, the most important thing is that we locate mom and make sure that she's okay. That's number one priority," Deputy Chief Joseph Monaco said.
According to New York state's Abandoned Infant Protection Act, a parent is not guilty of a crime if the baby is left with an appropriate person or in a suitable location, and if the parent promptly notifies someone of the baby's location.
"If the child is less than 30 days old, and the child is left at a location that's suitable, such as a hospital, a firehouse that's staffed properly, a police station that's staffed properly, the person that's leaving the child can do so anonymously. So, it's important to get that message out there," Monaco said.
Police said the baby is expected to be okay after undergoing several examinations at the hospital and will likely be placed with Child Protective Services once released.
Investigators are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to reach out to Yonkers police.