Hours-old baby boy left in a box at fire station over the weekend

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) – A newborn was left in a box at the front door of a fire station in Omaha, Nebraska, over the weekend.

According to Omaha Fire Battalion Chief Coby Werner, a baby boy was found at the front door of Station No. 21 around 5 a.m. Saturday.

“The baby appeared to be a few hours old and in good health,” Werner said in an email.

Fire department medics assessed the health of the infant before he was taken to the hospital for further examination.

The Omaha Police Department was also notified in order to investigate the abandonment. Under state law, a person of any age can drop off an infant 30 days old or younger at a hospital and not be prosecuted.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 4 infants less than a year old have been surrendered under Nebraska’s “Safe Haven” law, which went into effect after a special Unicameral session in 2008.

In that same timeframe, nearly 200 infants less than a year old have been considered abandoned.