Child Found Alone Amid Mother’s Arrest

A 5-year-old boy with autism was discovered wandering by himself, barefoot, outside a laundromat in Queens while his mother faced charges for a home invasion robbery, authorities stated on Wednesday.

Leshea Harris, 30, is accused of leaving her children—including the young boy—while she participated in a violent incident with a cohort in Brooklyn late Monday night, law enforcement indicated.

The child, who is non-verbal and barefoot, was located just outside the laundromat at 25-15 Seagirt Street around 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday. An eyewitness, Lydia Rojas, 43, recounted her experience in Spanish, saying, “I was scared and worried to see him outside by himself without his parents. I asked him, ‘Where are your parents?’ He just looked at me, smiled, and kept staring at me. He didn’t say anything.”

Surveillance footage revealed the child aimlessly running around the laundromat without shoes until he met an employee trying to open the store. He was dressed only in a white tank top and tan pants when the employee brought him inside.

After the NYPD sought assistance from the public in locating the parents, a family friend contacted authorities, who then led them to an apartment on Beach Street. There, seven additional children aged 8 to 11 were found, and they informed officials that they hadn’t seen their mother since the night before.

Upon checking Harris’s name, police discovered she was a suspect in a home invasion that took place in New Lots around 9:10 p.m. that same evening. According to the criminal complaint, Harris reportedly entered the apartment through a window and allowed her accomplice, Amalia George, to enter through the front door. The assailants then allegedly assaulted the resident while Harris attempted to use a Taser on her.

Following the theft of a bag of clothing valued at about $50, Harris was arrested roughly an hour later. Brooklyn prosecutors indicated that she and George face multiple charges related to the burglary, including first-degree robbery and weapon possession.

Despite the prosecution’s request for bail, a judge granted Harris supervised release. Additional charges include multiple counts of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child in relation to the incident involving her son.

Rojas, the laundromat worker, reflected on the situation, expressing her concerns about the potential outcome had she not found the boy. “A mother can’t leave her child alone like that. That’s careless,” she said, conveying her unease about the whole ordeal.