MOTT HAVEN — A passerby found an abandoned child in the South Bronx Monday morning and police were asking for the public's assistance in identifying the boy, the NYPD said.
Jason Alexander, 48, called the police after finding the child inside a stroller at the corner of East 141st Street and Rider Avenue around 5:30 a.m., he said. He lives in Long Island but was in the city making a propane delivery.
Alexander, who works for Manhattan Propane, decided to look at the blue stroller based on the amount of stories he had seen in the news lately about children being in dangerous situations.
"I said, 'Let me go take a look and make sure there’s not a kid in that stroller,'" he said. "And there was."
The child was taken to Lincoln Hospital for observation and is currently in the custody of the Administration for Children's Services, police said.
Alexander was upset when he saw the child but grateful he was in a safer place, he said.
"He'll be taken care of now, be in good hands," said Alexander.
The child is a roughly 2 years old with brown eyes and brown hair in a Mohawk style, according to police. He is 26 inches tall and weighs 26 pounds.
A woman dressed in black with black hair in a bun had been pushing the stroller the child was found in earlier, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.