Welcome to Arrest Stories. A thirty-year-old Queens woman has been arrested after allegedly abandoning her newborn daughter with umbilical cord still attached at one of Manhattan's busiest subway stations. Here's what may have happened.
On Monday morning, commuters at Penn Station witnessed what officials are calling the "Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street" when a newborn baby girl was discovered wrapped only in a blanket at the bottom of a staircase leading to the downtown one, two, and three train platforms. The infant, found with her umbilical cord still attached, was located on the southbound number one train platform at the Thirty-Fourth Street Penn Station subway stop.
Police immediately launched an investigation, utilizing surveillance technology to track the movements of the person responsible. The footage showed a woman outside Penn Station before getting into a Cadillac livery cab bound for Jamaica, Queens.
By Wednesday, investigators had identified thirty-year-old Assa Diawara as their suspect. A neighbor recognized Diawara from the surveillance footage circulating in the community and directed police to her residence. When confronted by authorities, Diawara allegedly confessed to giving birth to the baby and subsequently abandoning her daughter at the busy Midtown subway station.
Officials expressed relief about the infant's condition, with one stating, "The baby was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, we don't have any other additional information on top of that, but just grateful for the work of the NYPD for responding and caring for the baby."
Riders at the station expressed shock and disbelief that a baby could be left in such a dangerous and public place during peak hours. Many questioned why alternative options weren't considered, with one person suggesting to "leave it with one of your neighbors."
Diawara has been charged with abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.