Couple who found abandoned baby on NYC subway reveal how they raised him as their own
‘I felt like this was not even an opportunity, it was a gift, and how can you say no to this gift’
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Your support makes all the difference.A couple who found an abandoned baby on a New York City subway station twenty years ago have revealed how they raised the boy as their own in a heartwarming story.
Danny Stewart told the BBC how he found an abandoned baby on 14th Street station, in Manhattan on 28 August 2000, when he was 34, while on the way to dinner with his partner Pete Mercurio, then 32.
"I noticed on the floor tucked up against the wall, what I thought was a baby doll," Mr Stewart told the broadcaster. "I glanced back one more time, and that’s when I noticed his legs moved."
He explained how he realised the bundle was a newborn baby boy, wrapped up in a sweatshirt with his umbilical cord still partially intact, prompting him to attempt to alert those around him to what was happening.
Mr Stewart, who at the time lived with Mr Mercurio and his flatmate, said he couldn’t get the attention of any passersby so ran upstairs and called 911 on a payphone.
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Police later came to collect the baby and whisked it to hospital, and Mr Stewart gave a statement to the police and left before news of the baby made headlines the next day.
Before long, Mr Stewart received an invitation from the Administration for Children’s Services to attend a family court hearing and testify how he had found the baby.
At the hearing, the judge surprised Mr Stewart by asking him if he was interested in adopting the newborn.
"I had not had thoughts of adopting," said Mr Stewart "but at the same time, I could not stop thinking that… I did feel connected, I felt like this was not even an opportunity, it was a gift, and how can you say no to this gift."
The adoption involved months of background checks and parenting training before being completed on 17 December 2002, the couple said. They named the baby Kevin.
When the couple married in 2011 after gay marriage became legal in New York, the same judge officiated the ceremony, explaining her reasoning behind her proposal of adoption to the couple.
"This woman, the very reason we’re a family, is once again, the very reason we’re getting married. It was like coming full circle," Mr Stewart told the broadcaster.
"She also said that all babies needed a connection to somebody. And so when Danny was testifying in the courtroom about finding the baby, in her mind his most serious connection in the world was to Danny, so why not just ask him?" Mr Mercurio said.
"It was almost as simple as that. She saw a connection that was already made, and had a hunch that it would be the right connection."
Kevin, now 20 years old, is over six feet tall and attends college studying mathematics and computer science. The family enjoys taking part in outdoor activities and visiting national parks together.
"Kevin’s always been a respectful kid," said Mr Mercurio. "He’s empathic and kind. He keeps his emotions close to the vest. He’s an observer, doesn’t crave or seek attention. He’s a private person, but also a quiet leader."
Mr Mercurio has since written a children’s book about their family’s story titled: Our Subway Baby, which tells the true story of Kevin and “how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete”.
"I can’t imagine my life if it didn’t turn out this way," Mr Stewart, now aged 55, told the outlet. "My life has become much more enriched and full. It has changed my world view, my perspective, my whole lens."
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