A baby girl was clinging to life Saturday after allegedly being punched in the head by a Bronx man, police said.
Jerome Thomas, 19, was hit with first-degree assault and child endangerment charges for allegedly slamming his closed fist into the 1-year-old’s head inside a Woodstock apartment around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, cops said.
When police responded to a call about someone needing help, they allegedly found Thomas, a 25-year-old woman and the battered baby, who was semi-conscious, inside the Union Avenue apartment, authorities said Saturday.
Jerome Thomas is accused of punching the baby girl inside the Woodstock apartment early Thursday. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/ShutterstockThe infant was taken to Harlem Hospital in critical but stable condition, police said.
NYPD detectives were seen hauling evidence bags out of the apartment Saturday afternoon. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
It’s unclear whether the woman or Thomas are the baby’s biological parents, or what the relationship was between the two adults, police said.
NYPD detectives were seen hauling evidence bags out of the apartment Saturday afternoon.
Neighbor Nicole LaCroix said the trio was new to the building, and she was under the impression Thomas and the woman were dating.
“I spent a little time with the mother, and I guess the boyfriend one night, just because they were new to the area, and we were just showing them where some of the stores are and different things like that. Being helpful, as a neighbor, because I’m a little older than the young lady,” said LaCroix, who recalled spending time with the infant.
The infant remains in critical but stable condition at Harlem Hospital, cops said Saturday afternoon. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock“I held the baby, you know, because we spent a little time with each other. She was playing with my phone — she was an active 1-year-old.”
LaCroix said her daughter heard “arguments” coming from the trio’s apartment, and she wishes she had “stepped in and helped.”
Another neighbor, Anthony, confirmed the couple fought often, and claimed the woman once tossed his clothes out into the hallway during an argument.
“They fight every night. [I’ve heard] them argue every night since they moved here … ‘F–k you, b–ch.’ And ‘Get the f–k out.’ Several times she put his clothes out, but they’d be back together the same day.”
Anthony said the couple’s fighting Thursday night roused him from sleep.
Thomas pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment Saturday in Bronx Criminal Court, where a judge ordered him remanded without bail.
His next court date is Sept. 4.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment.
