A New York woman has been arrested and charged with abandoning her newborn daughter in an apartment hallway on Tuesday.
Jacqueline Marleni Perez, 21, was charged with abandonment of a child after detectives reviewed hours of surveillance video and interviewed multipls witnesses, WABC reported.
The little girl was found wrapped in a blanket and crying in a hallway of a Yonkers apartment building at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“She is being treated for obviously being abandoned, left in a building, being left in the cold and some other issues, but at this time we believe she is in stable condition,” said Yonkers Police Department First Deputy Chief Joseph Monaco.
Police said Perez gave birth at about 3:30 Monday afternoon. She put the little girl in a T-shirt and wrapped her in a blanket before leaving her in the apartment hallway at about 7:30.
The child is now in the custody of Child Protective Services.
New York has a state law allowing parents to surrender a newborn up to 30 days old at a designated safe location. In Yonkers, six police buildings and a dozen fire department buildings are so designated, Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said. There are also several hospitals and other location designated in the city.
“This is a poignant reminder that help, regardless of situation, is available to all of us – don’t be afraid to reach out,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.
