This would-be car thief on the South Shore ended up with a lot more than he bargained for Tuesday when he discovered a five-year-old boy sitting in the back seat.
Police in Longueuil say every parent's worst nightmare played around 7:30 a.m. when a woman popped in to a gas station convenience store and came out to see her car pulling away.
The man who made off with the car then noted the boy's presence in the back seat.
“He came back to the gas station and he dropped the car just behind the station itself and then he ran away,” explained Longueuil police Const. Tommy Lacroix, who said the suspect only drove about 200 to 300 metres before he returned around.
Lacroix said the suspect was caught with the help of descriptions from the boy and other people.
Police say the 47-year-old man from St-Hyacinthe could face theft-related charges, but not kidnapping, said Lacroix.
“We’re not talking about kidnapping here. What we know for sure he didn’t know there was a child in the car, so he didn’t do this with this purpose, and when he noticed there was a child in the car, he came back right away,” he said.
The mother may face Highway Code infractions, including for leaving a door unlocked in a public place, leaving a key in the ignition and leaving a child under seven years old without surveillance.
“She’s really relieved, but she’s also really shocked. I would not think this lady will do this again,” said Lacroix.
Lacroix adds the incident should serve as a reminder to parents to never leave their children in a vehicle and to never leave the doors unlocked.
Both the boy and the woman were shaken up but okay and the youngster was actually playing on a giant mound of snow when officers arrived at the scene.
“At the end, the most important thing is the boy is healthy. It’s a good end to this story,” said Lacroix.
With files from The Canadian Press
