A 21-year-old mother was arrested on suspicion of abandoning her newborn baby girl in the hallway of her Yonkers apartment building, but has since been released under New York State’s bail reform law, police said.
Jacqueline Perez was charged Thursday with child abandonment. new york post report.yonkers police department Said The statement said the felony charges against Mr. Perez are not eligible for bail “due to laws that limit bail.”
“Baby Perez was found by a neighbor on the first floor of his Chestnut Street apartment on Tuesday night,” the report said. “The infant, who was only a few hours old, was wrapped in a blanket and left alone on the cold floor near the entrance. A black cord was still wrapped around the umbilical cord.”
Police said they were able to track Perez down after interviewing witnesses and reviewing hours of surveillance footage. Detectives determined Perez gave birth to his daughter alone around 3:30 p.m. and left her in the hallway wrapped in a T-shirt and blanket around 7:30 p.m.
About an hour later, a neighbor found the baby and called police, according to the report.
First responders transported the girl to the hospital. Police said her condition was stable as of Thursday and she remained with Child Protective Services.
Police said Perez was also taken to the hospital for tests “due to an abnormal birth.” She was later released.
“The situation that occurred is heartbreaking and unfortunate, but we are grateful that the baby is stable and safe,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement. “We commend the Yonkers Police Department for their compassion and quick action in finding her mother, concerned for her well-being after a traumatic and desperate ordeal.”
Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said New York’s Safe Haven Law allows parents to legally surrender infants under 30 days old to any Yonkers police station, fire department or hospital without being prosecuted. he pointed out.
