The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is seeking the public’s help to locate a woman wanted for gravely injuring a three-year-old child while staying at a North Bergen motel.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Shaqwana Baker, 21. Her last known address is in the Bronx, New York, and she has recently stayed in North Bergen and Secaucus, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said in a statement.
Baker and her boyfriend, Edward Smith, 29, of Far Rockaway, New York, are both charged with aggravated assault and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Smith was arrested on February 24th at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, where he was being held pending a detention hearing on additional criminal charges.
On Sunday, January 23rd, the New York City Police Department was notified by NYU Langone Hospital that Baker brought her 3-year-old daughter to the facility with life threatening injuries.
The child was later transported to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bellevue Hospital, where she continues to receive medical treatment.
An investigation by the NYPD and HCPO Special Victims Unit determined the 3-year-old girl was the victim of child abuse and was injured while staying at a North Bergen motel with Baker and Smith. Her injuries are expected to be permanent and life altering.
The state has filed a detention motion against Smith, which is tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 7th.
Anyone with information on Baker’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Special Victims Unit at 201-915-1234 or leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s official website at: https://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.
All information will be kept confidential.
