Abandoned Newborn Found on Queens Doorstep

A newborn baby girl was discovered abandoned in a black shoebox on a Queens doorstep Friday morning, police say.

The child was found by a passerby on the stoop of a home on 28th Street near Ditmars Boulevard.

The baby had been wrapped in a purple towel and was left with three roses. Her umbilical cord was still attached.

"She was shivering, crying," said Jonathan Velasquez, one of the EMTs who first responded. "I kept her warm and just transported her."

Police say the infant is in good health. She is at Elmhurst Hospital.

Police are looking for the baby girl's mother.

The investigation is ongoing.

New York State does have a safe haven law which allows a parent 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.

The baby can be left with an appropriate person at a suitable location like a hospital, police station or firehouse.
 

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