Eyewitness News reporter Nina Pineda has the story from the police precinct in the Elmhurst section.
The young mother is 22-years-old Kiama Paez. She has been at the hospital since she brought her baby in, but authorities were suspicous from the beginning. Police say Paez admitted to them that she hurt her 7-week-old son, Pablo, when she became angry with him.
Police allege that she beat Pablo so severely that he may not survive. He was brought to Elmhurt's pediatric emergency room with a broken leg, eight broken ribs, a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain. He is listed in critical condition. He was reportedly placed on life-support and has minimal brain activity.
Paez is charged with attempted murder, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
"The grave physical injuries that this helpless and defenseless infant was made to suffer in just the first few weeks of his life is beyond comprehension," Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. "Perhaps most shocking is that his own mother is the one accused of causing those injuries. The child is presently unresponsive and on life-support and, if he dies, charges will be upgraded."
If convicted, Paez faces up to 25 years in prison.
Neighbors said they never suspected the child was being hurt, especially at the hands of his own mother. But police allege otherwise, saying she admitted she lost her patience when the boy was crying. They say it appears some of the injuries are weeks old.
Sources say she had another child removed from her custody and taken to foster care six or seven months ago.