The Journey of a Subway Baby’s Adoption
It’s hard to believe, but this summer marks 25 years since Danny Stewart discovered a baby at a subway station in New York City. Along with his partner, Peter Merclio, they adopted the child, creating a heartwarming family story.
They’ve shared their journey in a new book titled “There: Found a Family at a Metro Station in New York City,” as well as in a short film called “18 months.” The film recently garnered two awards at the Cannes Lions and highlights the mission of Second Nurture, an organization that supports both adoption and foster care.
“Everyone in New York can have something to do with what’s happening in their lives,” Merclio mentioned, reflecting on the enduring appeal of their story.
Back in August 2000, 34-year-old Stewart missed his Express train at 110th Avenue, close to his home in Morningside Heights. By the time he arrived at the A/C/E station on 14th Street, he was already running late for dinner with Merclio. As he walked through the turnstile, he noticed something on the ground that initially looked like a doll wrapped in a black hoodie. Shockingly, it was a newborn baby.
Stewart quickly comforted the infant, who was still attached to the umbilical cord. It was during a time when cell phones were not ubiquitous, but he couldn’t shake the image of the baby from his mind.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about him,” he confessed.
Though a social worker, Stewart never anticipated adopting the baby. In December 2000, he went to court to share his story. During those proceedings, the authorities confirmed the baby had been abandoned, expediting the search for a permanent home.
Unexpectedly, the judge asked Stewart if he wanted to adopt the baby. Caught off guard, Stewart replied with a surprised “Yes.” Merclio wasn’t convinced at first, but Stewart was determined.
“I knew he was motivated by fear,” Stewart remarked, reflecting on the judge’s question. He thought it would take a long time to finalize the adoption, allowing them to process everything.
Interestingly, a new pilot program aimed at easing bureaucracy sped up the process of placing abandoned infants into permanent homes.
The couple spent time with the baby, and Merclio experienced an immediate connection when he held him. “It all changed in that moment,” he recalled. By Christmas, the baby was officially part of their family, named Kevin in honor of Merclio’s lost parents.
“Old tears of sadness are now mixed with new tears of joy,” Merclio wrote in their book, expressing the profound impact of Kevin’s arrival.
As a parent, Stewart found Kevin to be a “really easy child to raise.”
Fast forward to 2012, when Kevin was 11, Stewart and Merclio tied the knot. They asked the same judge from their adoption story, now referred to as Judge Cooper, to officiate their wedding.
“Every baby needs a connection with someone, and I was that person,” the judge recalled stating that day in 2000.
The wedding concludes the book, but Kevin’s story continues to unfold positively.
Kevin attends NYC Lab School in Chelsea, where he graduated and went on to attend Swarthmore College, majoring in computer science and mathematics.
Now living in Pittsburgh, Kevin works as a website developer and also captains an ultimate Frisbee team. Merclio describes him as a “cool cucumber.” Recently, Kevin surprised his father by attending a screening of “18 Months,” expressing how much he enjoys the book and how proud he is of his family’s story.
“That’s all I need,” Merclio said. “That is the only review that matters to me.”
