Man steals car with toddler inside

Guam - Here's a story that reminds parents never to leave their children in the car alone. Police report a man made off with a vehicle parked at a Tamuning gas station this weekend, and ended up taking much more than just the car - but also a toddler left inside.

Faced with an alarming rash of vehicle thefts, the Guam Police Department is now looking into a case where a thief made off with more than just a car. "Just about 12:48 am Friday night Saturday morning we had a report of a stolen vehicle the reporting person was informing us that his 2001 Nissan Pathfinder was stolen inside that pathfinder was a 2-year-old child. The child was inside the vehicle," said Sergeant Mike Aguon.

According to the police spokesperson, the toddler's father left the baby inside the car as he went into a mini-mart in Tamuning and that's when the suspect took off with his car. Police say the toddler's father jumped on to the front passenger door trying to hang on to the vehicle, but fell as the suspect fled south on marine corps drive. Aguon says the incident happened so fast that the victim was not able to get a good look at who was in the driver's seat.

The vehicle was then seen on Sgt. David Camacho Street near Cost-U-Less in Tamuning. "Two bystanders had noticed the vehicle a Pathfinder stop and then leave and when they came upon on that location where the vehicle stopped they found the two-year-old child," said Aguon.

The child was not injured, but Child Protective Services will conduct a follow-up investigation. While GPD searches for the suspect, criminal investigators are trying to determine if the father should be charged. "The case is still open we still don't know who stole the vehicle and the investigation is still looking into why the child was left inside the vehicle," he said.

Highway Patrol officers meanwhile found the stolen vehicle at MD Apartments off Cuscaho Street. It's unknown at this time if any items were missing from inside. GPD's forensic division processed the vehicle and returned it to the owner. The only information have on the description of the suspect is that he is male individual. possibly Micronesian. Police are also reviewing video surveillance taken at the gas station to see if that will help with any leads.

Meantime police are asking anyone in the community to come forward if they have any information about this crime, and they can also call Guam Crimestoppers at 477-HELP (4357).

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