Woman in Custody in Attempted Abduction of Baby in Stroller: Police

The woman has seven previous arrests for kidnapping, sources said

Police say the woman suspected of trying to abduct a baby in a stroller as the child's nanny was pushing it down a Chelsea street Thursday afternoon is in custody. 

The NYPD said Friday they were looking for a woman named Tara Ann McDonald, who sources said has seven previous arrests for attempted kidnapping.

McDonald was picked up in midtown Friday afternoon and was in police custody. She was undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital Saturday, police said.

Police say the nanny was pushing the 8-month-old in a stroller near 17th Street and Eighth Avenue Thursday afternoon when a woman in her 50s approached the nanny and began talking to her. 

The woman, who may be homeless, then began pushing the carriage away, police said.

William Marte, a UPS driver who was eating his lunch while on break in his truck, told NBC 4 New York on Friday that he saw the woman grab the stroller by the handle.

"The other lady was saying 'oh please, help me, help me," Marte recalled. "That's when I decide to come out and tell the lady, 'Please, let her go, leave her alone.'"

Marte said the suspect cursed and fled.

He says the baby slept through the whole ordeal. The father of two says he's not a hero, and did what anyone would do.

"I consider myself like just another New Yorker, and I did what I'm supposed to do," he said. "I did the right thing in the right moment."

Marte said the nanny thanked him over and over. 

--Marc Santia contributed to this story 

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