(NEW YORK) -- The mother of a newborn baby found abandoned at a Midtown Manhattan subway station has been arrested, police said.
Assa Diawara, 30, was taken into custody early Wednesday in Queens on charges of abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child, according to the New York Police Department.
The baby girl was found wrapped in a blanket at the southbound 1 train platform at 34th Street-Penn Station during the Monday morning rush hour, police said.
The baby was taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said, with New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow calling it "the miracle on 34th Street."
On Tuesday morning, the NYPD released surveillance footage of Diawara -- whose name was then unknown -- in hopes of identifying her.
Her arrest came after investigators followed a trail of surveillance camera footage, an NYPD official said. Detectives tracked video of Diawara taking a car service to Jamaica, Queens, and then investigators canvassed the area where she was dropped off and found a neighbor who recognized her from the surveillance footage, the official said.
Police said that investigators confronted Diawara on Tuesday and she admitted to abandoning her daughter.
New York's Abandoned Infant Protection Act permits a parent to leave a newborn in a safe place -- like a hospital, police station or fire station -- up to 30 days after the baby’s birth. The parent would not be prosecuted and can remain anonymous as long as the baby is left in a safe place and the appropriate person is notified.
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