Body found near NJ river may be baby whose father has been accused of throwing her off bridge

Body near NJ river may be baby thrown from bridge

SAYREVILLE, N.J. — A body found near a New Jersey river may be that of a 3-month-old girl who police say was thrown off a highway bridge by her father earlier this year.

Sgt. Stephen Jones says clothes and wrappings in which the child were found Saturday are consistent with the descriptions given of 3-month-old Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem. But he says the baby is considered unidentified until DNA testing or other means can prove her identity.

Police say the baby’s father, Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, confessed that he threw the infant off a bridge Feb. 16. They say Abdur-Raheem had snatched the baby from her grandmother’s arms several hours earlier while the child’s mother was in court getting a restraining order against him.

Abdur-Raheem has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.