A video captured the moment a suspect in Florida abandoned a 2-year-old child on the side of the road after stealing the vehicle he was traveling in, police say.
The Holly Hill Police Department says the incident happened Thursday morning, and as of Friday, the suspect and vehicle have yet to been found. The child, meanwhile, has been returned to its family after a good Samaritan spotted the toddler and called 911, according to police.
“At the time the vehicle was stolen, a 2-year-old child was reported sleeping in a car seat in the back seat of the vehicle,” police said.
“The child’s mother reported she pulled into the driveway of a relative’s house and ran inside to grab something. In a matter of a couple seconds, a suspect walked from across the street, entered the vehicle, and drove north on Clifton Avenue with the child still in the car,” the Holly Hill Police Department added.
The suspect is seen carrying the child out of the vehicle in Holly Hill, Florida, on Thursday morning. (Holly Hill Police Department/LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
Surveillance footage released by investigators in the Volusia County city just north of Daytona Beach showed an SUV coming to a stop on a street, next to what appears to be a business.
The driver then exits the vehicle, opens the rear driver side door and is seen grabbing the child out of the vehicle and placing the toddler on the ground.
The suspect then gets back into the driver’s seat, turns the SUV around and takes off in the other direction while the child is left alone.
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The suspect is seen leaving the child in Holly Hill, Florida, on the side of the road. (Holly Hill Police Department/LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
“The child was unharmed and was reunited with his parents a short time later,” police said, adding a “big thank you” to the good Samaritan who alerted authorities. “The suspect was last seen driving east on 2nd Street towards Ridgewood Avenue.”
Police identified the vehicle as a “red colored Volkswagen Tiguan bearing Florida license plate AJ7-9FA.”
“The suspect is believed to be a young male between the ages of 15-20 years old wearing a black hoodie with red lettering on the front, black shorts, and a white hat,” investigators also said.
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An image the Holly Hill Police Department has released of the suspect, who remains on the run with the vehicle Friday. (Holly Hill Police Department)
Police say they now want to “find the identity of the suspect to hold him accountable.”
The initial vehicle theft was reported to have happened in the 300 Block of Clifton Avenue around 8:23 a.m.
