PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A mother in East Falls went through a nightmare experience: Someone stole her car with her 1-year-old in the back seat. Fortunately, she was able to track the car down and eventually reunite with her baby.
The woman parked her car in the area of Henry Avenue and Bowman Street around 11 p.m. Monday. She left the engine running, with her baby in the back seat, while she went into a family member’s house, police said.
Someone then got in the car and drove off. The mother went after it in a relative’s car. She had a tracking device hidden in the stolen vehicle, so she was able to tell police where it was going.
“[The mother] was on the phone with 911 the entire time, telling us where the car was,” said Chief Inspector Scott Small. “And then when we finally found the car — it was unattended.”
The car stopped at 40th Street and Parkside Avenue in West Philadelphia. When police got to it, no one was inside — not the car thief or the baby.
“So of course, [police] immediately went in the car, looked under the seats. They went into the trunk and there was no child inside,” Small said.
A family member finally located the infant on the sidewalk a block away from where the car was stolen, Small said. Police believe the person who drove off left the baby behind after realizing he was in the car.
The child was unharmed and reunited with his mother.
“It’s just great that we found him as soon as we did. So, a happy ending. Could have been a lot worse,” Small said.
Investigators are combing through the stolen car for evidence and reviewing surveillance footage to identify the suspect.
