A baby rescued from the Lehigh River in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is in critical condition after his teenage mother reportedly threw him into the river from a bridge and then jumped in herself. She has been charged with attempted homicide.
According to The Morning Call newspaper, witnesses said the mother, identified by police as 19-year-old Johnesha Perry, was seen pushing her 1-year-old baby in a stroller across the Hamilton Street Bridge, which stands 52 feet above the Lehigh River. She reportedly stopped halfway across, removed the child, and hurled him into the water.
Perry then scaled the railing and leapt in herself in what is believed to be an attempted murder suicide, The Morning Call said.
When police officers Joseph Iannetta and John Leonard arrived, they found Perry collapsed but conscious under the bridge. They then noticed the baby floating about 700 yards away, the newspaper reported.
Leonard revived the boy through CPR, and he and his mother were rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, The Morning Call reported.
The baby is listed in critical condition, while Perry suffered minor injuries.
Lehigh County sheriffs are guarding the mother, according to police. Police also charged Perry with two counts of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
An $18.5 million construction project is currently underway at the Hamilton Street Bridge, which includes new fencing to prevent suicides.
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