Car Stolen In Newark With 6-Year-Old Child Still Inside: Police – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — It was just supposed to be a quick errand, an East Orange woman told Newark police. But then someone stole her car… with her 6-year-old child still inside.

A harrowing encounter ended with relief for an Essex County mother late Thursday night, when police recovered her stolen car with her child safe inside, according to the Newark Department of Public Safety.

The incident began around 10 p.m., when the victim left her 2018 Honda Accord running with her child in the backseat asleep. When she left the car to drop off a package, someone jumped into the driver’s seat and took off, authorities said.

The thief abandoned the vehicle just a few blocks away at Hawthorne Avenue and South 20th Street in Newark. The child was found safe inside, still asleep, police said.

According to police, bystanders saw the car thief running down Fabyan Place.

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said that so far this year, 219 cars left running in the city have been stolen with their owners “just a few feet away.”

“More than 25 percent of our auto thefts happen when people leave their cars running to go into a convenience store, lock their gates, drop off mail, or any other little errand that they think ‘will only take a minute,'” Ambrose said.

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call the Newark Police Department’s 24-hour Crime Stopper tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695- 4867). Anonymous tips may also be made using the Police Division’s website at www.newarkpd.org or through the Newark Police Division smartphone app.

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