Woman accused of abandoning baby boy in Greenburgh has long rap sheet
GREENBURGH - A woman accused of shoving her baby aside in order to avoid apprehension in a shoplifting incident has a long rap sheet for theft, police said yesterday.
Suzette Gruber, a 39-year-old Bronx mother, abandoned the 8-month-old boy at T.J. Maxx in Hartsdale Sunday night, four days after she was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child, a charge based on another shoplifting incident.
Gruber and an unidentified woman ran off and left the baby boy in his stroller after being confronted by a guard outside the discount store at 435 Central Ave. at 6:15 p.m., police said.
The stroller concealed vases, teapots and kitchen utensils valued around $185, police said.
Police Chief John Kapica said Gruber pushed the stroller away and fled while the guard chased after it. The second woman stayed behind for a moment, but disappeared when the guard told her to get her friend. The two women were last seen running south.
Kapica said officers were studying surveillance video from T.J. Maxx while others searched for Gruber, whose last known address was 3019 Ely Ave. Kapica doubted that Gruber would be able to avoid arrest for long.
"We will get her," he said.
Gruber will be charged with abandonment of a child, a felony, and misdemeanor charges of petty larceny and endangering the welfare of a child, Kapica said.
Police were able to contact a man who claimed to be the baby's father. The man, who identified himself to police as Otis Lawrence, came to the store in the Dalewood Shopping Center and was taken in a police car to police headquarters.
Kapica said Lawrence showed police the baby's birth certificate, but that was not enough for officers to hand over the child to him. Lawrence also told police that Gruber called him to retrieve the child, but that he didn't know where she was.
Kapica said the baby, who he described as happy and well-adjusted, would remain in protective custody until Child Protective Services could confirm the relationship and the safety of the child's home.
Kapica said Gruber likely would serve jail time if and when she is arrested, citing a criminal record that includes repeated arrests on charges such as larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and false impersonation in White Plains, New Rochelle, Yonkers and New York City. Only once, in 2003, did she serve any jail time.
The most recent arrest was on March 15, when Gruber was charged with petty larceny and endangering the welfare of a child . She she was accused of stealing $272 worth of clothes from the H&M; store in the Galleria mall, 100 Main St. Her 14-year-old daughter and 2-week-old son were with her at the time, White Plains police said.
On Wednesday - four days before the T.J. Maxx incident -Gruber pleaded guilty to acting in a manner injurious to a child younger than 17 and was put on probation, Kapica said.
It's not unusual for criminals to use children to help them carry out a crime, Kapica said. "What is unusual is for them to abandon them at the scene," he said.
The Greenburgh case is not the first instance of a shoplifting suspect abandoning a child when confronted by authorities.
In August, an unidentified man ditched a 3-year-old boy at an Oklahoma City Wal-Mart after a store security officer accused him of theft. The man ran off, leaving the boy in a shopping cart. Relatives later identified the boy and told police that the man who abandoned him was not his father.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Greenburgh police at 914-682-5331.
The T.J. Maxx department store in Greenburgh, New York on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. 
A woman who attempted to shoplift merchandise at a T.J. Maxx department store with another adult accomplice in Greenburgh, New York forgot one important item in her heist: her 8-month-old son.

While trying to shoplift, Suzette Gruber, aged 39, ran out of the store when she thought she would be caught, panicked, and left her son sitting in his stroller inside the store. Her accomplice also ran, and has yet to be identified.

"The mother panicked ... and just took off. It's sad," said Greenburgh police officer, Lt. Desmond Martin who also said that she left her cellular phone and purse behind.

Police say they will keep the child in protective custody while they investigate the incident. A man has claimed to be the father, presenting a birth certificate to police in an attempt to regain custody of the baby. He claims Gruber called him and told him to pick the boy up. Police are still working to confirm the man's claims. Reports say that he does not know where Gruber is.

Hidden inside the stroller's compartments were vases, teapots and utensils that were worth about US$185.

Gruber has been charged with theft before. In March of 2007, Gruber stole clothing from a mall and was charged with larceny and endangering the welfare of a child. According to reports, her then 2-week old son and 14-year old daughter were with her when she was arrested in March.

Gruber turned herself in to Greenburgh Police on Tuesday morning. She will be charged with abandonment of a child, a felony, and misdemeanor charges of petty larceny and endangering the welfare of a child, according to Police Chief John Kapica.