The 1-year-old was found physically unharmed

NEED TO KNOW

• A 1-year-old boy was abandoned on a sidewalk after a car thief allegedly stole his mother’s vehicle
• The child’s mother tracked the car approximately five miles away, but police found neither the baby nor the suspect inside
• The baby was found unharmed in his car seat less than an hour later

A baby was abandoned on a Philadelphia sidewalk after an alleged car thief made off with his mother’s vehicle while he was inside. 

Just after 11 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, a 1-year-old boy disappeared when the vehicle was stolen as the boy’s mother briefly stepped away from her car in the East Falls neighborhood, ABC 7 News, 6 ABC and ABC News reported.

“I came outside and the car was just gone with the baby,” the baby’s uncle said in an on-camera interview with 6 ABC.

“We started panicking. We started knocking on doors. I started running around the block,” he added.

None of the family members were identified by name. 

The woman was reportedly preparing to leave the child’s grandparents’ home in the 3400 block of Henry Avenue when the incident occurred. 

As her brother and grandparents frantically went to the neighboring homes for help, the child’s mother used a tracking device to find her car while simultaneously contacting authorities, per the outlets.

PEOPLE reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

The car was tracked roughly five miles to the 4000 block of Parkside in West Philadelphia, but when authorities arrived, neither the assailant nor the baby was inside.

Police went back to the grandparents’ home to gather more information, and soon after, the grandparents found the child safely sitting in his car seat on the sidewalk about a block away. The entire ordeal lasted about an hour.

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Authorities believe the person who took the car did not realize that there was a baby inside. According to the family, the 1-year-old was not physically harmed during the incident. 

A suspect has not been identified, but authorities continue to search for the suspect, and will test the recovered vehicle for fingerprints. Surveillance footage will also be used to aid in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Philadelphia Police’s anonymous tip line at 215-686-TIPS.

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