An Australian father was devastated after his vehicle was stolen in broad daylight with his 2-year-old kid inside. His grey Volkswagen Tiguan was stolen at around 3:45 pm local time on January 8. The man stepped out of the vehicle to buy some ice creams. However, he did not wake up his son as he was in a deep sleep in the backseat. As a result, he kept the car running to keep the air conditioning on, only to live his worst nightmare.
The grieving Australian father was only 30 meters away from the car when another man hijacked the vehicle and took off. The police explained that the suspect was observing the vehicle before climbing in. However, whosoever stole the car was not aware that there is a kid in the backseat. As soon as the father realized that somebody had taken off with his son, he ran towards a kebab store to get help. In a surprising turn of events, the robber became aware of the little kid. Even though he stopped, he did not turn back. However, the 2-year-old was rescued by the police and was found on the side of the busy road.
Robber steals vehicle with 2yr old kid inside in Australia
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Grant Lewis explained the incident. He said, “(He has) stolen that vehicle, driven about 350m through the rear of the Chelsea shops before he’s obviously realized there’s a child in the vehicle. He’s then stopped the car, put the child on the side of the road … and driven off erratically southbound on Nepean Hwy towards Frankston.” Lewis continued, He remained where he was, but he was very distraught. A 30°C day with lots of cars and lots of traffic. You’d hate to think what could have happened.”
Lewis concluded, “We don’t want to victim shame or victim blame, but clearly in future, we’ve got to be mindful … We need to secure our vehicle and keep our kids safe.” The kid was not injured, much to the Australian father’s comfort. However, he was traumatized. The police noted how it was lucky that the child did not move on the busy road before being rescued.
