NJ Woman Left Healthy Newborn Baby in Toilet; Pleads Guilty after Her Father Called Cops on Her

A woman from New Jersey has admitted to the crime of taking her newborn son’s life by abandoning him in a toilet bowl for several hours.

A 23-year-old woman, then just 19, welcomed a baby boy in the bathroom of her family’s Hackensack apartment on the morning of August 22, 2020, as detailed in a probable cause affidavit.

Aponte abandoned the baby in the toilet for several hours, only returning to the bathroom to clean up. After thinking the baby had passed away, Aponte covered him in plastic and a towel before placing him in a hamper, according to the affidavit.

“She left the baby there because she realized it would change her life,” a detective wrote in the probable cause affidavit.

Aponte’s father contacted emergency services to inform them that his daughter had delivered a baby during the night, having found the infant wrapped in a purple towel within the hamper, according to an affidavit cited by NJ.com.

Upon arrival at the apartment, Hackensack police discovered the baby’s lifeless body on the kitchen peninsula, according to ABC7, referencing the affidavit. Aponte, concealing her pregnancy from her family, was charged with one count of second-degree aggravated manslaughter.

The autopsy performed by the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s office revealed that the infant was full-term, born alive, well-nourished, well-developed, and well-hydrated, according to an affidavit cited by NJ.com.

“The medical examiner determined that the baby was fully capable of living,” a detective said in the affidavit.

According to the Bergen Record, Assistant Prosecutor Brandy Malfitano stated that the state is suggesting a maximum sentence of four years in a New Jersey prison as part of Aponte’s plea agreement.

Aponte will turn himself in to state authorities on April 11, according to the Bergen Record.