Baby abandoned on New York subway platform: CCTV footage shows woman who pushed buggy out of train – and then got back on

The six or seven-month-old is now in the care of child services

A baby abandoned on the New York subway and (right) a still from CCTV footage police say shows the woman entering a station earlier (NYPD)

Police in New York have detained a woman they say abandoned a baby after pushing it out of a stationery train and on to a busy Manhattan subway platform.

The six- to seven-month-old baby girl was left visibly distressed but police said a hospital examination showed there were otherwise no apparent signs of trauma or ill-treatment.

Witnesses described how the woman, believed to be in her 20s, was on the northbound Number 1 train when it arrived at the Columbus Circle station at around noon on Monday, police said.

She pushed the baby’s buggy on to the platform, then got back onto the train as the doors closed.

The baby, wearing a red and white blouse, leggings and a nappy, was found alone on the platform by a 33-year-old woman, who according to CBS New York waited for 20 minutes for the woman to return before contacting police.

The little girl is now in the care of the New York City Administration for Child Services, and an appeal was launched to find the woman involved.

Police confirmed early Tuesday morning local time that they had detained a woman for questioning and, while they haven't released her name, confirmed that they believe her to be the child's mother.

Authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the baby could have been left on the platform unintentionally.

Police shared pictures of the baby sat in her polka-dot buggy clutching a bottle, and also released footage taken from surveillance cameras earlier in the day which appears to show the woman still with the child entering the subway.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact the NYPD’s crime stoppers hotline on 1-800-577-TIPS.