Mother Of Newborn Found Abandoned In Hallway Arrested: Police

YONKERS, NY — Yonkers police have arrested the mother of a newborn found in the hallway of an apartment building and charged her with felony child abandonment.

At 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Yonkers Police Department received a report of an abandoned baby in the hallway of an apartment building on Chestnut Street. Police located the newborn baby girl in the first-floor hallway of the building.

The baby had been wrapped in a blanket and was left on the floor near the entrance. Police and paramedics noted that the baby's umbilical cord was still attached with a black string wrapped around it. First responders rushed the baby to a nearby hospital, where she was stabilized.

Detectives from the Special Victims Unit, Major Case Squad, Crime Scene Unit, and Digital Forensics Unit reviewed hours of surveillance camera footage and interviewed witnesses, and were able to identify the mother of the child, eventually locating her.

Investigators say the mother had given birth to the child by herself earlier in the day at around 3:30 p.m. She then dressed the baby in a t-shirt, wrapped her in a blanket, and placed her in the hallway of 32 Chestnut Street at approximately 7:30 p.m., according to cops. About an hour later, a resident of the building noticed the abandoned newborn, wrapped her in an additional blanket and called police.

The mother was taken to an area hospital for a medical evaluation due to her unconventional childbirth and was later released. She is identified as Jaqueline Marleni Perez, a 21-year-old Yonkers resident. Marleni Perez was arrested and charged with one felony count of abandonment of a child. She was arraigned in Yonkers Criminal Court on Thursday and released on her own recognizance.

"The circumstances that occurred are heartbreaking and unfortunate, but we are thankful the baby is stable and safe," Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said. "I commend the compassionate and swift actions of our Yonkers PD in finding the mother, exhibiting concern for her welfare after going through a traumatic and desperate ordeal. This is a poignant reminder that help, regardless of situation, is available to all of us – don’t be afraid to reach out."

The newborn remains in stable condition and is currently in the custody of Child Protective Services. The case is being prosecuted by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

"Criminal investigations involving child victims are often the most difficult to handle, a sentiment that is only amplified when the child is less than one-day-old," Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said. "I commend our Detectives who worked tirelessly on this difficult case and quickly brought it to a close. We have over six Yonkers Police buildings and 12 Yonkers Fire Department buildings in this city. All of these buildings are "Safe-Haven" locations, in addition to several hospitals and other locations that are designated as appropriate places for parents to legally surrender custody to infants under 30 days old. We hope that this incident sheds light on the proper procedures to follow to avoid what could have been a horrible tragedy."