Luckily for Baby Sam, Steven Polit had the day off and a sharp eye.
As he was backing his car out of his driveway late Monday morning, Polit said he noticed what looked like a white garbage bag in his front yard. He stopped and went to investigate.
In the bushes, Polit found a newborn boy, whimpering.
Late Sunday night, a young woman apparently abandoned the 5-pound, 13-ounce baby in a small gap in the hedge in front of the Polits’ home at 601 N. Wilshire Drive, Mt. Prospect. The baby had been wrapped in a mattress pad, but he had wriggled out and was lying on some wood chips.
The infant was taken to Holy Family Medical Center in Des Plaines, where he was admitted to the neonatal unit in fair condition with a mild case of hypothermia, authorities said. Later Monday, the infant was upgraded to good condition after his temperature rose from 96.5 degrees to 98.5 degrees.
Holy Family nurses named the brown-haired, blue-eyed boy Baby Sam in honor of Independence Day and Uncle Sam.
“I was just shocked. It was bizarre,” said Polit, 46, who picked up the infant and held him until police arrived. “It’s really scary, but at the same time, look how resilient life is. He had the will to live.”
Hospital officials said they believe the baby was born sometime Sunday. When Polit found him, the baby was naked, with the umbilical cord crudely tied and still attached.
“We’re speculating that the delivery was not done professionally in a hospital,” said Holy Family spokeswoman Beth Nystrom.
Mt. Prospect police officers are contacting area hospitals for names of women who recently sought treatment after giving birth, and cross-checking those names with state records in hopes of finding a match, police Detective Bob Riordan said.
While police do not have a license plate number, they have a witness’ description of a woman and vehicle that stopped outside of the Polits’ home late Sunday night.
Helen Hondros, 28, who lives across the street from the Polit family, said she heard a commotion about midnight and went to look out her front door.
Hondros said she saw a woman in a two-toned Ford Explorer pull up to the stop sign, turn off the vehicle and get something out of the passenger side. Police said the vehicle was white over dark brown.
After dropping off what looked like a white sleeping bag or laundry bag in the Polits’ hedge, the woman drove off, Hondros said. She described the woman as being in her early 20s, thin and tall with blond hair pulled back in a pony tail. Police said the woman appeared clean-cut and was between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall.
More Top Picks Best Pedal Boats
Hondros said she went outside to take a look at the bundle, but didn’t get close enough to see what was inside, nor did she hear a baby crying.
“I couldn’t believe it was a baby,” Hondros said. “I wish I would have known. He wouldn’t have had to stay out all night.”
Police said the mother has 24 hours from the time the baby was found to turn herself in before the potential charges against her are upgraded to felony child abandonment. Riordan said it was unclear whether that deadline expires at midnight Monday or at noon Tuesday.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been notified and is taking part in the investigation. DCFS will determine whether to place the infant with family members, if any come forward, or to take the baby into protective custody, said spokeswoman Delores Walton.
Riordan said police do not suspect Polit, whom he described as “pretty shaken up” and “more like a Neighborhood Watch kind of guy, taking care of his neighborhood.”
Polit said he hopes the infant’s mother comes forward and reclaims her son.
“She should know that people understand, and she should do the right thing and come back,” Polit said. “She doesn’t have to be alone.”