21-year-old woman surrenders newborn baby to fire station in Koreatown

Woman surrenders baby to fire station in Koreatown

A 21-year-old safely surrendered her newborn baby to a fire station in Koreatown, officials said.

LOS ANGELES - A woman safely surrendered her newborn infant to a fire station in Koreatown under California's Safely Surrendered Baby Law, officials announced Wednesday.

The 21-year-old woman brought her newborn infant to Fire Station 13 located in the 2400 block of Pico Boulevard near the intersection of Vermont Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The woman did not want to be identified.

Firefighters performed a patient assessment and determined the baby was in good health.

The Safely Surrendered Baby Law took effect in January 2001. It states that an infant can be safely surrendered voluntarily, by a parent or person with lawful custody within 72 hours of the birth.

Since its creation, 931 newborns have been surrendered in California through 2017, the most recent year with statistics available, according to the California Department of Social Services.