Car Stolen With Baby Inside; Suspect Arrested: Santa Rosa PD

SANTA ROSA, CA — A man who allegedly stole a car Monday afternoon while a baby was still strapped into a car seat was apprehended and arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, vehicle theft and child endangerment, Santa Rosa police said.

The incident was first reported at 1:15 p.m. in the 1100 block of Orchard Street when the father of the child called police and said his 1 1/2-year-old son was in a car seat in the back of his 2008 Mercedes-Benz that had just been stolen.

The father told police he was driving around the neighborhood in another car looking for the child and his vehicle. The dad told police his family was in the process of moving and he'd left the vehicle running with his son inside to grab a few things from inside the house. When he returned shortly after going inside, his vehicle and child were gone, he told police.

Several SRPD officers soon converged on the area to search for the child and the vehicle and a CHP helicopter was requested from Oakland to assist, police said.

Within 10 minutes of the original call, the suspect, identified as Stephan Salazar, 28, of Santa Rosa, drove back to the residence with the stolen vehicle and child. He surrendered to officers on scene without incident, police said.

The child was returned to his father unharmed, according to police.

Photo courtesy Santa Rosa Police Department