A woman has been arrested after a small child was seen in a video being abandoned on the street, in the South Bronx.

 

On Sunday, Feb. 28, The New York City Police Department had asked for the public’s assistance in identifying two individuals seen in the attached video which was recorded on Saturday, Feb. 27, at around 00.03 a.m. The unidentified and unaccompanied child had been found by police at the corner of Prospect Avenue and East 156th Street, in the South Bronx close to the William McKinley Houses, in the 41st precinct.

 

The unidentified child, who said her name was “Sidaya,” was described as female, about 4 years old, with a dark complexion. She was found wearing a blue sweater, blue sweat pants and rain boots. Sidaya was removed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln for evaluation and released in good physical health to the care of the City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS).

A preliminary investigation determined that approximately ten minutes prior to being found by police, the child was observed on the surveillance video in the company of an unknown adult individual, who was last seen walking westbound on Leggett Avenue at the intersection with Fox Street.

 

The unidentified adult was described as a woman in her mid-20s, approximately 5 feet, 2 inches tall, with a medium complexion and a thin build. She was last seen wearing a light blue denim jacket, black pants, a black head scarf and white sneakers.

 

Surveillance video showing both the woman and child, obtained from 679 Fox Street, along photographs of the child, are attached and had been shared by the media with the public on Sunday.

On Tuesday, March 2, pursuant to an ongoing investigation, Sadeekah Abdul Salaam, 32, of Madison Street, in Manhattan’s Midtown East, was arrested and charged with abandonment of a child, acting in manner injurious to a child, and reckless endangerment.

 

No details were provided as to the woman’s psychological condition or state of mind. Norwood News has asked the NYPD for any such additional information and will update this story upon receipt of a response.

 

An arrest is not proof that a person is guilty of a crime.

 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.