A Bronx car thief found an unexpected package inside the gold minivan he stole: a six-month-old baby strapped in a car seat, who was found unharmed a short time later.
Police reported that the thief hopped into the idling 2000 Chrysler minivan on Father's Day and sped off.
Panicked family and police launched an intense search for the baby, with officers going door-to-door in the neighborhood.
"Please be on the lookout. New York, we need your help," NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry tweeted Sunday with photos of the baby boy.
"I heard a lot of sirens, cops, a lot of screaming," area resident Lydia Monserrate told the New York Daily News. "There were helicopters, police was asking around."
Two hours later, the baby was found safe and police arrested a suspect.
UPDATE: Thanks to the public’s assistance and the great work by the men and women of NYPD, the 6-month-old has been found safe and a suspect has been taken into custody.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 16, 2024
It wasn't immediately clear who was in charge of the baby's care when the van was stolen, or why the van was idling in the street.
"To leave the baby in the car with the doors open, you know we live in a crazy world — just be more careful," said Monserrate.
