A one-hour-old baby was found alive inside a gas station trash can in Fullerton, Orange County on Thursday, prompting authorities to search for the mother.
Crews were called to the Chevron gas station, located in the 900 block of Orangethorpe Avenue, at around 3:30pm after the baby boy was discovered in the bathroom, according to Metro Cities Fire Authority.
The baby had been placed in a bag inside of the trashcan and was found by an employee of the gas station, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Officers immediately began lifesaving measures and firefighters took the baby to a nearby children’s hospital in the city of Orange. Fullerton Police Department said he is a critical but stable condition.
Authorities are examining security footage in the search for the mother, whose identity is unknown.
The baby had been placed in a bag inside of the trashcan and was found by an employee of the gas station in Fullerton, according to CBS Los Angeles
‘It’s an active investigation. They’re working all possible leads to do all they can to solve this issue,’ Sergeant Ryan O’Neil from the Fullerton Police Department said.
On Thursday, March 9, 2023, at approximately 3:35 PM, officers responded to the 900 block of W. Orangethorpe Ave. regarding a possible newborn baby abandoned in a trashcan which was located in the restroom of the business.
O’Neil said: ‘The call for service was a possible newborn child in the bathroom trash can. Upon arrival, officers located a newborn child in the trash can and immediately began life-saving measures.
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‘Fullerton Fire responded very shortly after and transported the child to a local hospital for further medical care.’
Crews were called to the Chevron gas station, located in the 900 block of Orangethorpe Avenue, at around 3:30pm after the baby boy was discovered in the bathroom, according to Metro Cities Fire Authority
It is not known whether the baby’s mother had given birth at the gas station.
‘I think that would be a tragic event for anybody who was put in that situation,’ said O’Neil.
‘There are Safe Surrender Baby laws that allow parents, guardians or mothers to surrender their child within 72 hours of birth with no questions asked. There are hospitals that are designated as safe surrender along with fire departments,’ said O’Neil.
The process is legal, confidential and free. The person has to state that they would like to safely surrender the baby, and will be given matching ID bracelets with the baby in case the person wants to later reclaim the baby. The person surrendering the baby will also be provided with an optional medical questionnaire.
Detectives are investigating who and how the baby was abandoned.
Anyone with information about the abandoning of the infant was asked to call Detective Marcus Saenz at 714-738-5361. Anonymous calls can be made to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or sent to occrimestoppers.org.
