Stolen car with a child at Woolworths in Melbourne
‘Opportunistic’ thief ran off with toddler Stolen black Kia Carnival found in Woolworths 16km away in Carboy Stolen black Kia Carnival still missing
The hunt continues for a thief who stole a car and drove off with a child in the back seat
A frantic father was reunited with his young son after he was found wandering around a Woolworths in Ferntree Lane in Melbourne’s south-east on Monday afternoon, 16km from where the car was stolen.
The man pulled over in his black Kia Carnival in Cleland Street, Dandenong, about 3.25pm ​​to speak to the driver of the other car after the crash.
An ‘opportunistic’ thief jumped into the Kia and sped off with the owner’s son in the back seat.
The toddler was dropped off 16km away at Woolworths in Ferntree Lane, where he was found wandering the aisles.
The incident sparked an hour-long police manhunt involving multiple agencies.
Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Dean Hayes told reporters, ‘After the police were notified, we had multiple units swarm the area and search, including the airwing, dog squad, we had units all over the place looking for the vehicle.’
He added that the father was ‘hysterical’ when he first contacted police.
‘He was very anxious and it was difficult to get information from him to begin with, you can appreciate,’ said Det Hayes.
The unharmed but distressed boy was abandoned in Woolworths and spotted wandering the aisles by shoppers.
The stolen car and kidnapping led to an hour-long police search (pictured where the boy was found).
‘The police attended and confirmed that we were looking for the child and that he had been reunited with his father,’ said Det Hayes.
‘Thankfully all is well. The reunion was emotional.’
Black Kia Carnival with registration 1WU5QT is missing.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
The black Kia Carnival with registration 1WU5QT is still missing