Carnapper Took Off With 11-Year-Old Child Still Inside Vehicle Claiming He Was 'Friend' Of Kid's Dad

A thief reportedly took off with a vehicle, even while an 11-year-old child was still inside the car, claiming that he was a friend of the kid's father in East Harlem on Sunday, Feb. 20.

On late Sunday, at around 8 p.m., a 36-year-old father reportedly went inside the City Fresh Market, located on E 121st Street and 3rd Avenue, while he left his 2017 Orange Nissan Rogue 4-door SUV outside the store, still running, with his 11-year-old son in the front passenger seat of the car.

CCTV footage shows an unidentified man shortly getting inside the vehicle and driving away with the 11-year-old kid still in tow, New York Post reported.

“I’m a friend of your dad’s,” the suspect allegedly told the boy. “Don’t worry.”

About 20 minutes after driving away with the car, the suspect reportedly stopped the SUV at Lafayette and Bolton avenues in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx and let the boy out unharmed. The kid then used his phone to call his father and notified him about his whereabouts. The dad immediately alerted the local police and officers responded to the child's location to rescue him.

The authorities later reunited the boy with his father. The child, who suffered minor injuries in the ordeal, was treated for minor neck pain at Harlem Hospital and subsequently released.

When the boy was interviewed by the police, he told them that the suspect had sideswiped two parked cars somewhere along the way.

Later, at around 9:30 p.m that night, the suspect was also spotted stealing a cellphone charger inside a BP gas station located on Hillside Avenue near 242nd Street in Bellerose, Queens, NBC New York reported.

Meanwhile, the stolen SUV was found at around 1 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, in the confines of the 108th Precinct, which covers southwest Queens.

Following the incident, the police department conducted a citywide search for the suspect. However, the authorities have not turned up any information that has led to the suspect's location or identification.

The suspect is described as about 5 feet 7 and 150 pounds, with a full beard and short, dark hair. He was last seen wearing dark pants, a multi-color jacket, a dark baseball cap, a dark hoodie, and sneakers.