By . Hugo Gye and Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 13 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 14 March 2013 . A couple who found their son after he was abandoned as a baby in a New York subway station have described the chance encounter that brought the family together as their 'destiny'. Danny Stewart was returning home to his partner Peter Mercurio in August 2000 when he saw what he thought was a doll lying in the corner of the  14th Street A/C/E subway station in Manhattan. When he glanced back, he saw the little legs wriggling and realized it was a baby boy wrapped in a sweatshirt. Scroll down for video . Miracle: Danny Stewart (left) and Peter Mercurio (right) adopted the baby boy that Mr Stewart found abandoned in a Manhattan subway station in August 2000 . Meant to be: The fathers say that their son, who is now a teenager, is a 'gift' who was brought into their life by chance . The social worker immediately called the . police and then made a panicked phone call to his partner, saying: 'I found a baby! I called 911, but I don't think they believed . me.' Mr Mercurio rushed to the scene where authorities had already taken charge of the day-old child who had his umbilical cord still attached. For several months there was wall-to-wall media coverage as authorities searched for the mother of the boy, who had been named baby Daniel 'ACE' Doe. When after four months no one had come forward to claim the child, Mr Stewart was asked to appear in court to testify as to how he found the child. At the December proceedings, the judge suddenly asked if the couple would be interested in adopting the little boy. Thirteen years later, reflecting on that fateful moment, Mr Stewart told NBC: 'I thought, ''Maybe . this is destiny, maybe this is divine intervention. This is a gift . we're given and how can we say no to a gift?''' Happy family: The couple and their son Kevin who has now grown into a 'great kid', the fathers say . Adorable: Mr Stewart rides the NY subway with his son Kevin months after he found the boy abandoned near the turnstiles in a Chelsea station . When they were first allowed to hold the baby, the couple knew they could hardly bear to be apart from him again. The pair were unexpectedly given custody of the boy with just 36 hours' notice, and started their life together that Christmas. The judge later offered the couple the opportunity to adopt the little boy - at a time when it was difficult for gay partners to do so and more than a decade before same-sex marriage became legal in New York. Their new son was re-named Kevin. The couple have kept their son's identity a secret to protect him but said his presence in their lives made them 'better people'. And 12 years later, they were reunited with the judge who brought their family together when she presided at their wedding. Life-changing: The couple said that the chance discovery of the baby boy was the best thing that has ever happened to them . The family had no contact with the . judge who had brought them together until 2011, when they decided to wed . after gay marriage was legalised in New York. Kevin . suggested that they should ask the same judge to officiate their . wedding, so they contacted her through the court service and she said . that she would be delighted to meet them again. When . they walked in to the court room, Kevin held out his hand to greet the . woman who had given him his parents - but she insisted on hugging him . instead. Mr Mercurio . wrote in the Times that they were all enjoying their catch-up so much . they almost forgot to conduct the actual wedding ceremony. The playwright has now turned his family's experiences into a film, entitled Found.
Danny Stewart found day-old baby boy in New York station in August 2000 .
Judge asked if he and partner Peter Mercurio wanted to adopt the child four months later .
12 years later, the couple were married by the same judge .
By . Hugo Gye and Louise Boyle . PUBLISHED: . 11:13 EST, 13 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:26 EST, 14 March 2013 . A couple who found their son after he was abandoned as a baby in a New York subway station have described the chance encounter that brought the family together as their 'destiny'. Danny Stewart was returning home to his partner Peter Mercurio in August 2000 when he saw what he thought was a doll lying in the corner of the  14th Street A/C/E subway station in Manhattan. When he glanced back, he saw the little legs wriggling and realized it was a baby boy wrapped in a sweatshirt. Scroll down for video . Miracle: Danny Stewart (left) and Peter Mercurio (right) adopted the baby boy that Mr Stewart found abandoned in a Manhattan subway station in August 2000 . Meant to be: The fathers say that their son, who is now a teenager, is a 'gift' who was brought into their life by chance . The social worker immediately called the . police and then made a panicked phone call to his partner, saying: 'I found a baby! I called 911, but I don't think they believed . me.' Mr Mercurio rushed to the scene where authorities had already taken charge of the day-old child who had his umbilical cord still attached. For several months there was wall-to-wall media coverage as authorities searched for the mother of the boy, who had been named baby Daniel 'ACE' Doe. When after four months no one had come forward to claim the child, Mr Stewart was asked to appear in court to testify as to how he found the child. At the December proceedings, the judge suddenly asked if the couple would be interested in adopting the little boy. Thirteen years later, reflecting on that fateful moment, Mr Stewart told NBC: 'I thought, ''Maybe . this is destiny, maybe this is divine intervention. This is a gift . we're given and how can we say no to a gift?''' Happy family: The couple and their son Kevin who has now grown into a 'great kid', the fathers say . Adorable: Mr Stewart rides the NY subway with his son Kevin months after he found the boy abandoned near the turnstiles in a Chelsea station . When they were first allowed to hold the baby, the couple knew they could hardly bear to be apart from him again. The pair were unexpectedly given custody of the boy with just 36 hours' notice, and started their life together that Christmas. The judge later offered the couple the opportunity to adopt the little boy - at a time when it was difficult for gay partners to do so and more than a decade before same-sex marriage became legal in New York. Their new son was re-named Kevin. The couple have kept their son's identity a secret to protect him but said his presence in their lives made them 'better people'. And 12 years later, they were reunited with the judge who brought their family together when she presided at their wedding. Life-changing: The couple said that the chance discovery of the baby boy was the best thing that has ever happened to them . The family had no contact with the . judge who had brought them together until 2011, when they decided to wed . after gay marriage was legalised in New York. Kevin . suggested that they should ask the same judge to officiate their . wedding, so they contacted her through the court service and she said . that she would be delighted to meet them again. When . they walked in to the court room, Kevin held out his hand to greet the . woman who had given him his parents - but she insisted on hugging him . instead. Mr Mercurio . wrote in the Times that they were all enjoying their catch-up so much . they almost forgot to conduct the actual wedding ceremony. The playwright has now turned his family's experiences into a film, entitled Found.
after he was abandoned as a baby in a New York to his partner Peter Mercurio in August 2000 when video . Miracle: Danny Stewart (left) and Peter suddenly asked if the couple would be interested couple the opportunity to adopt the little boy - people'. And 12 years later, they were reunited