Newborn baby girl found abandoned on lawn behind housing complex in New York
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Passersby found a newborn baby girl crying outside a housing complex in New York on Sunday night.

Members of the public found the baby wrapped in blankets and sheets and abandoned on a lawn behind a housing project building.

The police said the little girl was taken to hospital, but was in good health, weighing about six pounds. She was estimated to be a day old, and her umbilical cord had been cut.

Local resident, Essence Shepherd, told the New York Post she heard someone shouting that a baby had been found at around 11.30pm:

"I heard a baby crying and somebody yelling 'there's a baby behind the building."

As police tried to find the baby's parents, one local said their actions were 'cruel':

"That is very cruel," said Audra Adams. "You couldn't knock on somebody's door or take the baby to a hospital or something? This was your only recourse? I hope they find her."

New York laws allow parents to give up their baby within 30 days of birth without fear of prosecution as long as it is left at a police station or hospital.

The little girl is now expected to be released into the care of the city's children's services department.

So sad for both mother and baby.