Teen Mom Leaves Baby at Firehouse

Mother: 'I can't handle it anymore'

A 19-year-old woman left her 6-month-old son at a firehouse Monday morning.

Firefighter Ryan Rivera of Engine 107 at 1101 S. California, said the distraught woman approached him and a lieutenant at about 9 a.m. and offered up the baby.

"Pretty much the only thing she said was, 'I can't handle it anymore," Rivera said.

The firefighters took the boy and called an ambulance, which is proper protocol in that situation, even though the infant appeared to be healthy.

The mother stayed for about 15 minutes before leaving, according to firefighters.

"She just sat there with tears in her eyes. Obviously something is going on her life, but she didn't say much more than that," Rivera said.

According to Illinois' Safe Haven Law, parents can leave an unharmed baby 30 days old or younger to personnel at any hospital, emergency medical facility, staffed fire station, or police station and walk away with no questions asked. The baby will then be placed in a home for adoption.

It's not clear if authorities will attempt to contact the mother in this case seeing as the child was older than 30 days. old.

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