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Mother arrested after newborn baby girl abandoned in Penn Station
The mother of the newborn baby girl found abandoned on Monday morning inside Penn Station has been arrested and charged. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler has the latest.
NEW YORK CITY - The mother of the newborn baby girl found abandoned on Monday morning inside Manhattan’s Penn Station has been arrested and charged, the NYPD said.
What we know:
According to police, Assa Diawara, 30, of Queens, was charged with abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
The backstory:
The discovery was made near the 1 train at 34th Street and 7th Avenue just after 9 a.m., during the height of the morning rush hour.
According to the NYPD, officers responded to a 911 call about an infant wrapped in a blanket and lying alone on a stairway leading to the downtown 1, 2, and 3 train platforms.
When the police arrived, they found the newborn – her umbilical cord still attached and wrapped only in a blanket – but she was conscious and alert. The baby was taken to Bellevue Medical Center for evaluation and is reported to be in stable condition.
What they're saying:
Riders at the station were shocked to learn what had happened. Many expressed disbelief that a baby could be left in such a dangerous and public place during one of the busiest times of the day.
What you can do:
Police say the investigation remains active as they work to locate the baby’s parents. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).