Woman, 23, ‘tries to steal newborn baby from hospital’ after posing as a nurse
A WOMAN is facing kidnapping charges after she is alleged to have impersonated a nurse and attempted to steal a newborn baby, authorities say.
Jesenea Miron, 23, was arrested after she is said to have entered a unit of the Riverside University Health System – Medical Center while posing as a newly-hired nurse, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Miron is said to have entered a patient’s room in the hospital in California on July 14, telling them she was a nurse and tried to take their baby, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.
Hospital staff though confronted Miron and alerted security but she escaped before she could be apprehended, according to the release.
The newborn was in her possession during the incident, but Riverside County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Edward Soto said she did not leave the hospital with the baby.
Miron was identified by investigators who arrested her at a Moreno Valley, California, residence, where they also found “items of evidentiary value,” according to the news release.
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Along with one charge of felony kidnapping of a child, Miron also faces a felony child stealing charge, court records show.
She has pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $1million.
The hospital is located about an hour east of downtown Los Angeles.
Jennifer Cruikshank, the chief executive of the Riverside University Health System, said in a statement that hospital personnel are working with the sheriff’s department to investigate how Miron gained access to the hospital room and was able to interact with the patient’s family.
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Extra deputies from the sheriff’s office were stationed on the hospital campus following the incident and security protocol has been “reviewed and reinforced,” she said.
“Riverside University Health System – Medical Center has multiple layers of security to protect the safety and well-being of patients and staff, and we’re thankful those systems and our vigilant staff were able to thwart this suspect,” Cruikshank said in the statement.