Bronx Mom Threw Her Newborn Baby Out of a 7th Floor Window, Police Say
Neighbors found a baby girl dead outside a New York City apartment on Monday afternoon with her umbilical cord still attached.
The building superintendent's wife found the baby unresponsive and unconscious in an alleyway outside the Bronx area residence. The police declared the girl dead at the scene.
Multiple outlets say the baby's mother, Jennifer Berry, tossed the baby out of the apartment's window, which is seven floors above. The New York Daily News says she was still alive when the "maniacal" mother threw her to her death.
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Records reveal that the 33-year-old suspect was a former child welfare worker once employed by the Administration for Children's Services. A source said she had "minimal contact with families" during her stay with the child welfare program.
While initial reports could not rule what really happened, Berry was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the baby's death. Berry told police the baby was stillborn when she was delivered at the bathroom, but a medical examiner said the baby was alive before she was thrown out to her death.
District Attorney Georgia Barker said during Berry's arraignment Tuesday night in the Bronx criminal court that "She [Berry] gave birth to an 8-pound girl and dropped the newborn seven stories to the pavement. The medical examiner determined that the baby was alive."
According to NBC New York, the baby's father, Giovanni Johnson, 28, did not know that his girlfriend was giving birth to a baby, while he was in another area of the apartment. Johnson reportedly told police that all the while, he thought Berry had had an abortion.
Johnson is not faced with any charges as police have ruled out that he is involved in the crime that Berry committed. Tiffany Martinez, a neighbor of the couple who lives across the 130 West 183rd street said, "I don't think he [Johnson] knew. He looked as surprised as anybody else. He looked shocked."
Berry has been remanded without bail and will face court again on Oct. 5.
