Police Say 1-Year Old Baby in Stroller Found Abandoned in Times Square

Police found a one-year-old baby girl who was apparently abandoned in Times Square on Tuesday.

Authorities responded to a call regarding the infant around 11:00 Tuesday night. According to reports, the baby was left alone in a stroller near West 44th Street and Broadway.

When police arrived, they found the alert baby in a toppled-over stroller. The child was taken to the hospital in stable condition, and police are searching for the child’s father, who they believe abandoned the baby after a dispute with the child’s mother. Per the New York Post, the man is believed to have ditched the baby after the stroller tumbled over.

ABC 7 reports that police are aware of who the father is and indicated that he may be homeless.

“Officials say they are continuing to go through surveillance video from the area to trace the father’s steps. He is being sought for child abandonment and custodial interference,” according to ABC7.

This abandonment would not fall under New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act, which allows the parent of a child to abandon a newborn baby up to 30 days old “anonymously and without fear of prosecution — if the baby is abandoned in a safe manner,” according to the state:

A parent is not guilty of a crime if the infant is left with an appropriate person or in a suitable location and the parent promptly notifies an appropriate person of the infant’s location. A hospital, staffed police or fire station are examples of safe and suitable choices.

A person leaving an infant under this law is not required to give his or her name.

Given the age of the baby and the circumstances, the accused father’s alleged abandonment would not fall under that category.