Thief steals a car with a child still inside in Adelaide, South Australia
Mother’s worst nightmare: thief steals a car with a child still in it while the police launch a manhunt
- Woman went into store and left child in car
- The thief quickly made off before dumping the car in a nearby suburb
- Child was unharmed, reunited with mom
A desperate hunt is on for a thief who stole a car with a young child in the back seat in Adelaide.
The child’s mother had ducked into a shop on Hampstead Road, Clearview in the north of the town around 11am on Thursday when she saw a man get into her Mazda CX9 station wagon parked outside.
The woman ran out to confront the thief, who pushed her to the ground and drove off with the child still in the car.
Police were able to track the car’s movements using the panicked mother’s mobile phone.
The vehicle was found abandoned 20 minutes later 2.5 miles away in Walkley Heights with the child still in the back seat.
The unharmed child has since been reunited with their relieved mother.
The thief remains on the run.
The police investigation continues.
Detectives are urging anyone who has noticed suspicious behavior around Rowe Ct Walkley Heights and a Mazda CX9 station wagon this morning to contact Crime Stoppers.
The incident comes less than a year after another Adelaide mother went through a similar harrowing ordeal.
Last June, Erika Carter ran the engine with four-month-old son Jordan asleep in the backseat as she ducked into a sandwich shop in Klemzig to buy a loaf of bread.
Seconds later, the distraught mother was caught on CCTV entering the parking lot as the alleged thief backed up and drove off in the vehicle.
Her car was found abandoned two hours later with Jordan still inside, crying but unharmed.
