Yahoo Autos Thief Steals Mercedes With Baby On Board
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While it doesn’t happen often, whenever a car is stolen with a child inside it’s always a scary situation. What starts out as property theft, which is frustrating enough, turns into a frightening kidnapping scenario. It happened yet again, this time in Des Moines, Iowa when a thief swiped a Mercedes-Benz GL350.
Watch police rescue a kidnapped woman after a high-speed chase.
We doubt the suspect, 32-year-old Corey Van, realized there was a child in the backseat. At least we hope he didn’t and only noticed after stealing the vehicle. But we’ve seen thieves immediately pull over and get out of a car once they see a kid in the backseat.
Even some car thieves know kidnapping a child is beyond the pale.
From the KCCI report on the incident, we know the mother and father were inside a building and the child was in the vehicle when Van jumped in and drove off. Exactly what building they were in and why they left their child in an SUV which could be simply driven off isn’t clear.
The frantic parents immediately called police for help. Officers combed the area, desperate to find the Mercedes and most importantly the baby. We can only imagine what went through everyone’s minds as the minutes ticked away, with Sgt. Paul Parizek telling KCCI, “This one went on a little longer than most of us are comfortable with.”
At the end of the day technology played the hero’s role. A cellphone left inside the Mercedes allowed police to ping its location and pinpoint where the stolen SUV was. Converging on the location, officers spotted the Mercedes, were able to arrest Van, and reunited the uninjured baby with the parents.
This serves as a stark reminder to parents everywhere to never leave your child alone in a car, even for just a minute. A lot can happen in that time and the outcome isn’t always as pleasant as it was in this case.
Image via KCCI
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