Mother, 32, is arrested after she was caught on surveillance video 'leaving her four-year-old girl all alone' on Bronx street after midnight
A four-year-old girl who was found wandering around New York City by herself in the middle of the night had been abandoned by her mother.
Sadeekah Abdul Salaam, 32, left her little girl alone on a Bronx street around midnight on Saturday while she headed to a homeless shelter to find somewhere to stay.
The child, whose name is Sidaya, was picked up by NYPD officers just after midnight on Saturday at the corner of East 156 Street and Prospect Avenue in the Bronx.
A four-year-old girl, who told police her name is Sidaya, was found wandering through the streets of the Bronx just after midnight on Saturday
Distressing surveillance footage sees the little girl walking some distance behind her mother.
At one point, Salaam turns back around to look at the youngster but then walkz off before she had a chance to catch up with her.
Sidaya was wearing only a sweater without a jacket in 40-degree weather.
Police released surveillance footage showing Sidaya on the street about 10 minutes before she was spotted by officers in the early hours of Sunday morning.
On Monday, police managed to identify Salaam’s as the girl's mother and made an arrest charging her with abandonment of a child, acting in a manner injurious to a child and reckless endangerment according to the New York Daily News.
Salaam made no statements at the time and asked for a lawyer. She is currently awaiting arraignment in Bronx criminal court.
After being picked up by officers, the girl was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, where an evaluation showed she is in good physical health.
Sidaya, meanwhile, is now the care of the Administration for Children’s Services.
Police released surveillance video showing Sidaya walking behind her mother Sadeekah Abdul Salaam, 32, who briefly turned around to look at her before walking away from her child
In the video a woman is crossing a street and looking back at the little girl following several yards behind her. The woman then stops and waits for the girl to catch up with her before they both move out of the frame
Initially, NYPD wasn't immediately clear whether the woman knew Sidaya but it she was later identified as the girl's mother
The NYPD has asked anyone with further information in connection with Sidaya (pictured) to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS
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