Parents face charges after abandoning baby in stroller in Hollywood, police say

A 7-month-old baby was found abandoned in a stroller at Young Circle in Hollywood on Thursday afternoon, and the mother and father face charges of child neglect, police said.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m., a passer-by found the boy unattended in the stroller on a sidewalk in the area of 1 Young Circle, near the dog park on the north side of ArtsPark, and told officers who were working in the area, Hollywood Police Officer Dany De Andrade said in an email. The boy was in good health.

The boy’s parents returned to the area about 30 minutes after leaving him, and both were taken into custody on child neglect charges, De Andrade said.

The father, Aran Nahum Gomez, 22, also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, De Andrade said. Broward County court records show a warrant for his arrest for violating the terms of his probation from a 2022 case on felony charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and grand theft auto.

Gomez was sentenced in the 2022 case to five years of probation, scheduled to end in 2029, court records and Florida Department of Corrections records say.

The mother was identified as Janiah Leona Smith, 18, De Andrade said.

Neither had been booked into the Broward County jail as of Thursday afternoon.

Police notified the Department of Children and Families, and the boy was in protective custody as of Thursday afternoon, De Andrade said.

This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.