Autistic boy, 5, found wandering outside NYC laundromat while mom in custody for alleged home invasion
The 5-year-old was found outside the business at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. ABC7NY
A 5-year-old autistic boy was found wandering alone and barefoot outside a Queens laundromat early Tuesday morning while his mother was in police custody for her alleged role in a violent home invasion robbery, according to law enforcement sources.
Authorities say 30-year-old Leshea Harris left her children unattended while she and an accomplice carried out a robbery in Brooklyn on Monday night.
The boy, who is nonverbal, was spotted around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday outside 25-15 Seagirt Blvd. in Far Rockaway by Lidia Rojas, 43, a laundromat employee arriving to open the business.
“I was scared and worried, to see him alone out there without his parents,” Rojas said in Spanish. “I asked him, ‘Where are your parents?’ He just smiled and didn’t say anything.”
Surveillance footage shows the child running barefoot near the building before Rojas ushered him inside for safety. He was wearing only a white tank top and tan shorts.
Police later issued a citywide alert asking for help identifying the boy’s parents. A family friend soon contacted authorities and directed them to an apartment on Beach Street, where officers found seven other children, all between the ages of 8 and 11. The children told police they had not seen their mother since around 10 p.m. Monday.
A background check revealed Harris was already wanted in connection with a Brooklyn home invasion that took place just an hour earlier, around 9:10 p.m. in New Lots.
According to court documents, Harris allegedly entered a woman’s apartment through a window and then let her alleged accomplice, Amariah George, inside through the door. The two are accused of attacking the resident, with Harris allegedly attempting to use a Taser during the assault, before fleeing with a bag of clothing valued at about $50.
Police apprehended Harris approximately an hour later. Both Harris and George have been charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, third-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Despite prosecutors requesting bail, a judge granted Harris supervised release following her arraignment. In addition, she faces four counts of reckless endangerment and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child in Queens.
“I have a lot of bad thoughts about what could’ve happened if I wasn’t there,” Rojas said. “A mother can’t leave a child alone like that. That’s careless.”
Authorities confirmed all eight children are now in protective care as the investigation continues.
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