A high school student is charged in the death of her baby shortly after giving birth in her bathroom last month, prosecutors say.
Prosecutors in Monmouth County say Jada McClain, 18, hid her pregnancy from her parents and then gave birth to a baby boy in the bathroom of her home in late March. She apparently named the child Legend.
They say McClain then suffocated the baby. The man believed to be the child's father, 19-year-old Quaimere Mohammed, then allegedly threw the child's body into a dumpster at an Asbury Park apartment complex.
Prosecutors say McClain was a student at Neptune High School and has been charged with first-degree murder. Mohammed, of Asbury Park, is also charged with second-degree disturbing or desecrating the remains of the baby.
Mohammed is not facing murder charges at this time. According to an affidavit released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the two apparently talked about what to do with the child after birth.
Prosecutors say killing the baby was allegedly discussed as an option, saying they have to do what's best for them. McClain apparently told a friend she was drinking alcohol, smoking weed and taking pills to try and kill the child before birth.
Police say they got most of their initial information from a friend of McClain's, who has not been identified. McClain allegedly told police she had considered getting an abortion but thought because she was underage at the time, she would have been required to get a parent's permission.
The state's Department of Children and Families website says that safe havens for unwanted infants include hospital emergency rooms, police stations, fire stations or an ambulance or rescue squad.
McClain and Mohammed both have scheduled court appearances on Wednesday.