NJ Mother Left Kid Inside Vehicle, Then It Got Carjacked: Cops

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A Newark police official says that a carjacking that took place with a two-year-old child still inside was “preventable” because the girl’s mother allegedly left the vehicle unattended and running at the time it was taken.

According to the Newark Public Safety Department, police were dispatched to the 100 block of Ferry Street on a carjacking call around 2:27 p.m. on Monday. On arrival, the owner of the vehicle, a 24-year-old Union resident, told officers that she parked her car and left her two-year-old daughter sleeping inside while she unloaded groceries at a relative’s house.

When she returned from one of her trips, her car was missing, the woman told officers.

Thankfully - within minutes - police located her car with her child still inside less than 400 feet away on Adams Street. The girl, who appeared to be unharmed, was taken to University Hospital for examination, police stated.

The victim’s cell phone was stolen during the carjacking, police said.

• See related article: Newark Police Seek Alleged Carjacker Who Took Vehicle With Sleeping Kid Inside

“This carjacking was preventable,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said. “This was a careless and reckless act which endangered a child. And we have been cautioning the public about the danger of leaving their cars running and unattended.”

Ambrose said that about 32 percent of the cars stolen in Newark so far in 2017 were left running at the time of the incident.

“This problem is not unique to Newark,” Ambrose said. “It is problematic throughout the state. With a little common sense, many crimes like this one can be prevented. Everyone has to be thankful that this didn’t end with tragic results.”

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Photo: Google Maps (Ferry Street, Newark)