The mother wanted in an ongoing North Bergen child abuse case was arrested in New York City yesterday after the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office put out a public appeal to locate her last week.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On Wednesday, members of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and the New York City Police Department arrested Shaqwana Baker, 21, for her involvement in a child abuse case that gravely injured her 3-year-old daughter, County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said in a statement.
Baker was arrested at approximately 11:55 a.m. in the area of West 37th Street and 10th Avenue in New York, New York.
She 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.
On Sunday, January 23rd, the NYPD 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.
Smith was arrested on Thursday, February 24th at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, where he was being held pending a detention hearing on additional criminal charges.
Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul M. DePascale granted the state’s motion for detention on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Baker is currently in custody in New York and is awaiting extradition to Hudson County.
Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the New York City Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service with the investigation and arrest.