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Hours-old baby who 'still had the umbilical cord' found abandoned on stranger's porch

An "hours-old" newborn baby girl is reportedly doing well after being discovered abandoned on a porch as temperatures soared over 90 degrees. Now, police are searching for that baby's parents who, if found, could face charges of reckless endangerment.

Terrell Phillips, the man who discovered the baby, was likely at the right place at the right time on 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when the Upper Darby, Penn., man saw a white blanket on his neighbor's porch.

"I thought it was some sort of animal or something in there at first, but when I saw a little arm I walked over and saw the baby," Phillips told NBC Philadelphia. "She was sleeping. No crying. Very quiet. She was just there."

After Phillips' neighbor confirmed he did not know the newborn, the pair immediately dialed 911.

According to police, the girl appeared to have been cleaned up, and she was just a few hours old.

"When I picked the baby up and opened the towel up the baby still had the umbilical cord on her," Phillips said.

The baby was taken to Delaware County Hospital where she is reportedly in good condition, no doubt because of Phillips noticing something was amiss with the bundle on his neighbor's steps. According to the owner of the house where the newborn was found, they had been outside around 9 a.m., so the baby may have been alone for hours in the heat wave.

A parent is permitted to leave a baby, so long as it is under 28 days old and unharmed, in the care of a hospital or with a police officer at a police station without being criminally liable, as per Pennsylvania's Safe Haven Law. However, since this baby was left abandoned and during extreme temperatures, the parents could face charges of reckless endangerment.

The Upper Darby Police tweeted on Tuesday that they are being inundated with calls requesting information on how to adopt the baby. "While we appreciate the outpouring of support the UDPD is not involved in this process,” they wrote, “please only call with pertinent information that may identify the family of the child."

Upper Darby Police did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.

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