Newborn baby with umbilical cord still attached found abandoned in 93-degree heat on stranger's porch in Philadelphia suburb
UPPER DARBY, PENNSYLVANIA: A six-hours-old baby girl, still with the umbilical cord attached, was found wrapped in a blanket outside a home on Tuesday, July 30, in Upper Darby, just outside of Philadelphia, authorities said.
Terrell Phillips was the first person to discover the "adorable" baby abandoned on his neighbor’s porch in Upper Darby Township, at 12:30 p.m.
“I thought it was some sort of animal or something in there at first but when I saw a little arm I walked over and saw the baby," Phillips told NBC Philadelphia.
"She was sleeping. No crying. Very quiet. She was just there. When I picked the baby up and opened the towel up, the baby still had the umbilical cord on her.”
After Phillips' neighbor confirmed he did not know the newborn, they alerted the police immediately.
The baby was taken to the nearby hospital for evaluation and was determined to be in a healthy condition.
However, the situation could easily have been worse, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood told ABC News.
"Thank God the baby is OK. But to put a [roughly] 6-hour-old child on a porch wrapped in a blanket is insane, in my opinion. It was 93 degrees yesterday," he said Wednesday, adding, "We want to find out who left the kid there and why, and then certainly if the mother needs help then we'll do whatever we can do to help her. Right now it's also a criminal case."
The police department tweeted out a picture of the baby on July 31, with the caption, "This adorable hours old newborn was left abandoned, alone, in the 100 blk Englewood today. WE NEED HELP locating the parents to get them the assistance that they need. Mom, if you’re reading this, call us. Call us at 610-734-7693 with tips or email socialmedia@udpd.org."
As officers search for the baby's mother, Chitwood said the department has received about 30 to 40 calls from people looking for details on how to adopt the baby girl.
"We are receiving an influx of calls requesting information on how to adopt the baby. While we appreciate the outpouring, of support the UDPD is not involved in this process. Please only call with pertinent information that may identify the family of the child," the department tweeted from their official Twitter account.
The department also reminded people of the laws concerning the safety of newborn babies.
"The Newborn Protection Act (Safe Haven) states that a parent of a newborn may leave a child in the care of a hospital or a police officer at a police station without being criminally liable, as long as the child is no older than 28 days and is not harmed," the police wrote.
Meanwhile, the baby's parents, if found, could face charges of reckless endangerment.