NJ woman, 19, left newborn to die in a hamper, prosecutor says

HACKENSACK — Prosecutors say a 19-year-old gave birth in her family's apartment before wrapping the newborn in a towel and leaving it in a hamper, where the baby was found dead over the weekend.

Kimberly Aponte was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree aggravated manslaughter.

Police received a 911 call about 1 p.m. Saturday from Aponte's father, who said his daughter had given birth overnight.

When officers arrived at the apartment in the Avalon Hackensack at Riverside complex, police said the man directed them inside where they saw the dead newborn. Aponte was in her bedroom and she was taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Aponte had hidden the pregnancy from her family and gave birth to the full-term baby. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Aponte then wrapped the newborn in a towel and hid it in a clothes hamper.

Authorities did not reveal the baby's sex or cause of death as of Tuesday afternoon.

Aponte was being held at Bergen County jail awaiting her first court appearance on Wednesday. New Jersey 101.5 did not know Tuesday whether she had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.