Woman Gives Birth In Hospital Bathroom, Abandons Newborn In Trash Can

A 21-year-old woman in Staten Island, New York, gave birth to a baby boy in a hospital bathroom and then reportedly abandoned the newborn in a trash can.

The baby was found alive and received medical attention. His mother was taken into custody and charged in connection with the incident.

Lucia Garcia, a New Dorp Plaza resident, was taken by her father to the Staten Island University Hospital on Friday night because she was not feeling well, according to SILive.com.

The father, Ambrosio Garcia, 41, said he did not know his daughter was carrying a child.

Lucia lied to the hospital staff about her condition and insisted she was not pregnant. When the hospital staff left her in a room, Lucia gave birth to a baby boy in the bathroom of the hospital's entranceway area, the outlet reported.

The woman then abandoned the baby boy in a trash can, police said. An NYPD officer was working a side job at the hospital the same night and saw Lucia's blood-soaked clothes.

"She said she had her period when she came out of the bathroom," Ambrosio told the New York Post in Spanish.

"She had a lot of blood on her," he added.

Police officers responded to the hospital at around 1 a.m. A cleaning staff member at the hospital as well as responding officers found the baby after hearing the infant's cries in the bathroom.

"Police went into the bathroom, and another man to clean it. There was a baby boy in there that they found in the trash can," Ambrosio told the outlet.

The infant was taken to the NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan to receive further medical attention.

Lucia was taken into custody and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment, NYPD said.

Ambrosio said he has been living in New York City for about four years while Lucia moved there in July. The migrant daughter is seeking asylum and has been staying in her father's apartment while her mother still lives in Mexico.

"I feel so bad ... I'm sad because I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't have money for a lawyer — I don't make that much," he told the outlet. "I'm very sad. I feel bad too. I never thought this would've happened."

Ambrosio said he had asked his daughter whether she was pregnant about three months back.

"She said, 'No, no, I'm not pregnant,'" the father recalled.

The man said he was relieved his grandson is still alive. "I would love to have a grandchild — it would be my first grandchild."