Car Thief Threatens To Call Police On Woman For Leaving Child Alone In The Backseat

An Oregon carjacker who stole an SUV came back to return the owner's son and reprimand her for leaving the child alone in the backseat, police said.

The incident happened in Beaverton at around 12:10 p.m. EST on Saturday when the mother parked the car in front of a store to buy a few things. She left the car unlocked with keys in the ignition and the engine running before entering the store.

The man got into the unlocked car and drove away from the parking lot. But he returned as soon as he discovered the 4-year-old child in the backseat. He asked the woman to remove the child from the car before driving away in the stolen car, reported local news outlet Oregon Live.

"He actually lectured the mother for leaving the child in the car and threatened to call the police on her," Matt Henderson, a spokesperson from the Beaverton Police Department said.

The child was unharmed in the ordeal. "I'm just thankful that he's OK and it was so stupid and I'll never do that again, but it's that split-second decision that could just change everything," the mother of the 4-year-old boy said.

The stolen vehicle, a 2013 silver Honda Pilot, is still missing. According to police, the suspect was a man in his 20s or 30s with dark brown braided hair. He was wearing a multi-colored face mask.

The mother was reportedly only 15 feet away from the child when she entered the shop.

"What she did was not a crime. She was within sight and sound of her child," Henderson said. "But she left the car running, so take that extra step, take the keys with you. It's a good reminder to take extra precaution when we have our little ones with us."

According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52 children died of heatstroke in 2019 after being left or trapped alone in a hot car. The report also indicated that a child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult's, so they can die within minutes when left in a hot car.