NY Daily News

A doe-eyed infant was ditched inside a livery cab in Queens Thursday morning - and cops are hunting for the callous man who left her sitting in the back seat.

The girl - described by authorities as about 6 or 7 months old - was taken by the cabbie to a nearby firehouse and then whisked to St. John's Hospital in Queens.

Doctors said the cuddly infant, dressed all in pink, is in terrific health.

"Fortunately, she's in good condition - excellent condition," said Dr. Kenneth Berry of the hospital emergency department. "She appeared to be well-cared-for."

Berry said the mystery girl - who was nicknamed "Lourdes" by the hospital staff - did not have any signs of physical abuse.

Livery driver Klever Sailema, 45, an Ecuadoran immigrant, said he picked up the man and the girl just before 10 a.m. at the corner of Northern Blvd. and 106th St. in Corona.

"I never saw him before," Sailema said last night in Spanish. "He called for a car from the street and I picked them up. He said he wanted to go to Manhattan."

But Sailema said the man told him to pull over at Northern Blvd. and 83rd St., saying he needed to use a pay phone. The man got out of the cab, crossed the street and walked to the phone. He then sprinted away before hopping into another livery cab.

"I never saw him again," Sailema said in the lobby of his Jackson Heights apartment building.

Realizing the girl was still in the back seat alongside a small bag of baby food and clothes, Sailema drove to the nearest firehouse, Engine 289 on 43rd Ave.

"People say I'm a good person, a hero, but I don't know. What I did was nothing," Sailema said.

Fire Lt. Jimmy LoFaso said "one of the guys was taking out the garbage" when Sailema pulled up and announced, "I have a baby in the back seat.""We ran in and changed her diaper and gave her some food," Lofaso added. "We then called police and EMS, and they took custody of the baby and brought her to the hospital."

The infant was placed in the custody of the city Administration for Children's Services.

"She actually seemed happy and content," Lofaso said. "It was a very cute baby."

"We're the same firehouse that responded to the fire that killed a 5-year-old boy last week," he said, referring to the boy who died in a blaze after being left home alone by his older brother. "It was kinda nice that we were able to help a child this time."

Sailema gave cops a description of the missing passenger. Cops also were examining fingerprints found in the cab.

Sailema, who has an 8-year-old daughter, is an independent driver who leases a car from Long Island City-based Tell-A-Car. The fleet's manager said Sailema didn't say a word about his good deed. "He came in here and didn't mention it," said general manager Rocco Sacramone.

"Considering today's bitter cold, we couldn't be more thrilled that this baby was brought to a safe haven by Mr. Sailema," said Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Matthew Davis.

Sailema's nephew Fernando Sailema said the driver is a loving father to his daughter, Areli.

Cops asked anyone with information to call the 115th Precinct detectives' squad at (718) 533-2039.

With Kerry Burke, Pete Donohue and John Lauinger