Police said the mother gave birth around 11 pm on Saturday in the employee bathroom, and the boy was discovered on Sunday morning by another employee.
A mother has been arrested after her newborn baby was found abandoned inside the bathroom of a New York ShopRite supermarket where she worked. The newborn, a baby boy, was left alone for seven hours.
Per ABC 7, police said the mother gave birth around 11 pm on Saturday in the employee bathroom of the City Center ShopRite in White Plains and left him there. The boy was discovered on Sunday morning by another employee, who called 911.
The baby was taken to White Plains Hospital and is in stable condition. The mother is in stable condition, receiving medical care due to giving birth outside of a hospital.
White Plains Police Sgt. Claudio Benavides said, “The mother is currently in custody receiving treatment for this recent birth. The child is being taken care of by Child Protective Services and we are talking to the DA about charges.”
A ShopRite spokesperson said in a statement, “We can confirm that a newborn infant was discovered in the restroom by store associates, who immediately called 911 and cared for the baby until emergency responders arrived and transported the infant to a local hospital.”
The White Plains Department of Public Safety said, “The circumstances surrounding this event are heart-wrenching, and our thoughts remain with the infant during their recovery.”
White Plains Public Safety Commissioner Wade Hardy stressed that abandoning a baby is illegal, but noted the state’s Safe Haven law allowing a lawful way to hand over a newborn. Hardy said, “In New York State we have the Safe Haven law which states that you can leave a child who is younger than 30 days old with a fire department or a police station or a nurse at the hospital to be taken care of.”
Under New York’s Safe Haven law, an individual will not be held criminally liable for child abandonment if they turn over an infant under 30 days old at a “safe haven” location such as a hospital or fire station with the intent to keep them safe and get them proper care.
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