Newborn found at Holy Child Jesus Church nativity manger in Queens, police say

It was a nativity scene that became too real.

A newborn baby was found with its umbilical cord attached in a Queens church nativity manger — and one of the families in the Church’s community is looking to adopt the boy.

“We have a family here that wants to adopt the child,” said Father Christopher Heanue of the Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill on Tuesday. “We want to keep this child who was a gift to our community in our community.”

A 60-year-old custodian at Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill found the crying newborn wrapped in towels in the manger, police said. The custodian had been returning from his lunch break when he found the child at 1:10 p.m. Monday.

“We had just recently constructed a creche for our nativity scene — it was actually set up too early – but the beautiful thing is that the mother used it as a place to welcome her son,” Heanue said, but he added he’s not sure who left the baby.

Police said that the custodian notified his supervisor who then contacted the police; the baby was taken to a nearby Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Churches are considered safe havens for dropping off unwanted newborns who are younger than five days old, but New York State law stresses that the child must be left with a “competent person.”