Police are searching for a man accused of stealing a car with a child inside in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia Monday night.
A 26-year-old woman told police she had parked her car in the parking lot of a bank on the 6500 block of Frankford Avenue shortly before 9 p.m. The woman got out of the car to go to the ATM and left her 6-year-old son in the backseat. That's when a thief ran into the car and drove off.
"While she was working on the ATM doing a transaction she heard her car speed off," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small. "That's when she immediately screamed and notified police."
Sean MacCartney, who witnessed the theft, followed the suspect as he fled the scene. The suspect drove about two blocks before he stopped the vehicle on the 6400 block of Charles Street, let the child out and then fled from the scene on foot.
"The way he was driving I knew he was gonna wreck," said MacCartney. "So I figured I'd get him in five blocks. When I hit the car in gear and I went down Charles he already probably looked in the rearview, saw a kid and ripped it over to the side and jumped out. And I was right there, got the kid and ran him to his mom and [the suspect] went into the shadows."
The boy, who was not hurt, was reunited with his mother. Small said the suspect stole the woman's wallet that contained her ID and cash.
While the woman did not see the suspect, police say he was captured on surveillance video from nearby homes. The suspect is described as a white male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers. He was last seen running east through a driveway off the 6400 block of Charles Street.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"Not only is this individual looking at being charged with auto theft but due to the fact that there was a 6-year-old boy and he drove two blocks, he's also looking at charges of kidnapping," said Small.
If you have any information on the suspect's identity, please call Philadelphia Police.
