A newborn baby was found on a Manhattan sidewalk with his umbilical chord still attached, officials said.

“When I approached the infant, it was crying and cooing and waving. And I was just so happy that the child was alive,” Mia Chin, the EMT who took care of the infant, said.


What You Need To Know

  • According to the NYPD, a doorman found the baby boy around 3:20 a.m. Thursday outside an apartment building on West 23rd Street

  • Police brought the baby to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Officials say the newborn had no trauma to his body and is healthy

  • Police say 37-year-old Ayana Swann was taken into custody hours later and charged with abandonment of a child

According to the NYPD, a doorman found the baby boy around 3:20 a.m. Thursday outside an apartment building on West 23rd Street — just below the High Line and across the street from a fire station.

The doorman called EMS, who alerted police, officials said.

Chin said the baby wasn’t alone for long.

“It was fresh. It was a fresh delivery, so it probably happened moments before. The doorman who informed us about it said it happened just 30 seconds prior to our arrival at the station,” she said.

Police brought the baby to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Officials say the newborn had no trauma to his body and is healthy.

“They immediately treated the infant, they brought him inside, they made sure he got all the care he needs and then they ultimately brought him to a hospital and I’m happy to report the infant is doing well,” Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said.

Police say 37-year-old Ayana Swann was taken into custody hours later and charged with abandonment of a child.

Her address is a little over a mile away from where the baby was found, according to officials.

New York’s Save Haven Law allows for parents to leave their babies at certain locations if they cannot care for them and they will not be charged with a crime.

“A parent is legally allowed to abandon a newborn baby up to 30 days of age anonymously if the baby is left in a suitable location like a hospital, firehouse, police station and if the parent promptly notifies an appropriate person of the infant’s location,” Acting Deputy Commissioner at Administration for Children Services Luisa Linares said.

“Please, if you are in the middle of an emergency of any kind and can’t care for your child or infant, please bring your child somewhere safe. We will take care of it and you will not be asked any additional questions,” Kavanaugh said.

It’s unclear at this time why the child was left outside of that particular building. The investigation remains ongoing, officials said.