What to Know
- Two young children were unharmed when the car they were in was stolen early Thursday from a Philadelphia takeout restaurant while their mother was inside the business.
- Philadelphia police say the mother was picking up food and had left the vehicle running as the young children slept in the backseat.
- The man driving the car was soon captured following a brief struggle. The two children apparently slept through the whole incident and were not injured.
A tense 15 minutes or so ended with a baby and his 18-month old sister unharmed after the car they were in was stolen early Thursday from a Philadelphia takeout restaurant while their mother was inside the business, authorities said.
The mother was picking up food at a takeout restaurant on Frankford Avenue in the Frankford neighborhood and had left the vehicle running as the children — an 18-month-old girl and a 3-week-old boy — slept in the backseat. A 25-year-old man then entered the vehicle just after 1 a.m. and drove away, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
The mother gave police a description of the white Ford Focus and it was spotted about 15 minutes later by an officer, Small said. The man driving the car was soon captured following a brief struggle.
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The two children apparently slept through the whole incident and were not injured. No one else was in the vehicle when the theft occurred, authorities said.
The Special Victims Unit investigated since children were involved. Police, however, don't believe the car thief knew children were in the back seat.
The theft suspect's name was not released.
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Police hoped this case would serve as a reminder to parents to not leave your car running with children inside.
