Justine Madera said she was at a corner store on Luzerne Street around 1:15 p.m. when a man handed her an 11-month-old baby. Surveillance video shows the child wrapped only in a blanket.
"I just felt bad for the baby, so I took the baby in my arms, hands in God's hands, and was holding him down for the man who was running around with a baby," Madera said.
Madera said the man told her the child was his son and that he needed to return to a nearby location to retrieve his money and cards before coming back for the baby.
"He said that was his son and he just said that he was going back to the premises, he was at to get his money and cards, and he was coming back for the baby," she said.
Police, however, say the baby is not the man's biological child. Authorities said that it was around that time when the man assaulted his girlfriend on the 4700 block of Neilson Street and then took her unclothed baby.
Madera said she first noticed the man outside the store and asked if he was okay. She later saw him walking through an alleyway with the baby.
"As I seen him and the baby walking through the alleyway, he was shouting like, 'f this girl' and saying bad things about the baby's mother," she said.
For about an hour, Madera held the baby in the back of the store while waiting for police to arrive. She said she played Cocomelon on a tablet the man left behind and gave the baby juice.
"He kept crying and crying and crying. I was doing everything in my power to make sure the baby was okay," Madera said.
Video shows Madera remaining at the scene until officers carried the baby into an ambulance. She said the experience was especially emotional because she is an expectant mother.
"I don't mind being there for him if he needs somebody, if he needs a parent or somebody, I don't mind. I'm sorry," she said.
Police said the female victim is being treated for facial and throat injuries. The child was taken to the hospital for evaluation and has no visible injuries at this time.
Authorities noted domestic violence remains a significant issue in the city, with reported cases increasing by 20 percent in 2025.
An upcoming Inside Story segment will take a deeper look at the crisis on Sunday at 11:30am.