New York, NY — A Queens woman was arrested Wednesday after allegedly leaving her newborn at Manhattan’s 34th Street-Penn Station earlier this week, police said.
Suspect Confesses to Abandoning Baby
Assa Diawara, 30, allegedly admitted to leaving her newborn — with the umbilical cord still attached — on a subway platform Monday morning, sources told authorities. The baby, wrapped in a bundle of blankets, was found conscious and alert on the 1 train platform and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Diawara was arrested near her Jamaica, Queens home around 3 a.m. Wednesday and charged with abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.
Timeline of Events
Video released by the NYPD showed the suspect walking near the subway station around 9 a.m. Monday carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle. According to sources, Diawara was picked up by a driver near West 34th Street minutes before the infant was reported to police and driven back to Jamaica, Queens.
Neighbors identified Diawara following the police appeal. Her landlord, Bobby, said he confronted her at the Africarib Bazaar grocery store where she worked, but Diawara denied being pregnant.
Community Reaction
Diawara lived in the landlord’s basement apartment for 18 months. Bobby said neither he nor his daughter, who also lives at the Queens address, ever had any issues with her. A regular patron at the store expressed shock upon learning about the charges, saying, “I saw her last week. She never looked like she was pregnant. I’m shocked! Are you sure it’s her?”
Bobby described the woman’s actions as “unbelievable” and a “big mistake,” adding that he would have taken responsibility for the child if given the chance.
Legal Context
Under New York’s Abandoned Infant Protection Act, parents may legally give up babies under 30 days old anonymously and without prosecution, provided the infant is left with an appropriate person or location, such as a hospital or staffed firehouse.
Court Appearance and Release
Diawara appeared at a Manhattan arraignment around midnight wearing a matching sweatsuit with “good vibes only” on the pants. She was freed on the lowest level of supervised release as requested by prosecutors and will return to court on December 8th. Her defense attorney, Javier Damien, said she has no criminal record aside from the current incident.
Diawara appeared nervous and avoided the media, leaving the courthouse without answering questions.
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