A teen girl left a newborn baby boy inside a California dumpster on Tuesday, with temperatures soaring to a high of 105 degrees, according to police.
The Stockton Police Department reports that if hadn’t been for two Good Samaritans following the sounds of a cry, the infant may have died. Troy Cooper, a resident close to a Stockton apartment complex off of the 5900 block of Village Green Drive, saw a black bag moving with muffled cries inside at around 11:45 a.m., and immediately contacted his apartment manager, John Pedebone.
According to Stockton Police Department Public Information Officer Joseph Silva, the manager jumped into the dumpster and picked the baby up, holding him until medical help arrived. First responders showed up to the scene quickly and rushed the baby to a nearby hospital.
While investigating, authorities located the mother of the baby, a 15-year-old teen whose name has not been released, due to her age. According to a post by Stockton PD on Facebook, the mother was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
The baby is expected to survive.
UPDATE: During this investigation we located the teenage mother near the scene and she was transported to a hospital for…
Posted by Stockton Police Department on Tuesday, June 11, 2019
“We’re at 100 degrees temperature, so this situation could have turned into a tragedy if that baby was left in that dumpster for any amount of time,” Silva said. “We’re calling those good Samaritans heroes.”
Pedebone told FOX 40 that his fatherly instinct kicked in and he sprang into action when he saw the blag bag moving.
“I just tried to do anything that I could to help out the baby before the ambulance gets here,” Pedebone said. “I just make sure that he’s breathing and warm.”
Meanwhile, police said the teen will be charged with felony child abuse and endangerment. The baby boy is currently in custody of child protective services.
Authorities said the teen wasn’t listed at living in the complex where she reportedly dumped her baby. Further, there is a fire station less than half a mile away from the dumpster, where the girl could have dropped the infant off safely and legally under California’s Safely Surrendered Baby Law.
The story is still developing. Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
