A mother who left her newborn son in a New York church nativity Christmas display will avoid criminal charges, a prosecutor says.The baby was found crying, with his umbilical cord still attached, lying in a manger at the Holy Child Jesus Church in Queens on Monday.
Police tracked down the baby's mother on Wednesday.
Queens district attorney Richard Brown said the woman would not be prosecuted because she gave up her child in accordance with the state's "safe haven" law.
"It appears that the mother, in this case, felt her newborn child would be found safely in the church and chose to place the baby in the manger because it was the warmest place," Mr Brown said in a statement.
Under New York state law, a parent may abandon a newborn anonymously at certain designated safe haven locations, as long as the baby is handed over to an appropriate person.
Church priest Father Christopher Ryan Heanue said he and others placed a clean towel around the baby while they waited for paramedics to arrive.
"The beautiful thing is that this woman found in this church — which is supposed to be a home for those in need — this home for her child," Father Heanue said.
"A young couple in our parish would love to adopt this child and keep this gift in our community. It would make a great Christmas miracle."
The healthy baby was taken to a nearby Queens hospital for evaluation.
Source: ABC
