NEW YORK, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The father of an infant girl says he left the baby alone in a stroller on a New York sidewalk because of a misunderstanding.
New York resident Edwin Rivera said he took his infant daughter out of his car following an argument with his wife Sunday, thinking his wife would watch the child after he drove off, the New York Post reported Monday.
Rivera and his wife, whose identity was not reported, told authorities the woman left the baby on the Upper East Side sidewalk because she did not realize the child was there.
Despite the couple's assertions Sunday's incident was a simple misunderstanding, Rivera was charged with child abandonment and endangering the welfare of a child.
The incident also left witnesses like Francesca Perrone-Vaquero questioning how parents could leave their baby alone. The baby, whose name was not reported, was in good health after being relocated to an area hospital.
"She's a beautiful baby girl," Perrone-Vaquero told the Post.
"The baby looked happy and was laughing. Who would leave a poor child like that on the street?"
