A passerby rescued a newborn girl from a dumpster in western Kentucky who had been abandoned just hours after she had been born.

The 17-year-old boyfriend of the baby's mom, 15, has now been arrested and charged with the child's attempted murder.

The McCracken County sheriff's office said the baby was in a stable condition after being found by the man from a Paducah business in the rubbish container at Fernwood Apartments at Berger Road and Goodman Drive on Thursday afternoon. On Friday the child was being cared for in hospital.

'What alerted him was he heard a loud noise outside,' said Sgt. Darrin Frommeyer of the sheriff's office.

The man said he went outside, saw a young man walking away from the dumpster, walked over to it and heard a baby crying, Frommeyer said.

When he opened the dumpster, he found the baby and called authorities.

Capt. Matt Carter of the sheriff's office told The Paducah Sun there is 'no doubt about it, the eyewitness saved the baby's life'.

A 17-year-old boy was detained later and charged with attempted murder, first-degree criminal abuse and tampering with physical evidence, Frommeyer said.