Man arrested as video reveals terrifying moment car with four-month-old baby inside was allegedly stolen at Klemzig
A man has been arrested after a car was allegedly stolen with a baby inside – watch the terrifying moment the mum runs out to save her child. It was relief all round when they were reunited.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man at the centre of a major search has been arrested after video footage of the terrifying moment a car was allegedly stolen with a four-month-old baby inside was revealed, and the first picture of the boy reunited with his mum emerged.
The baby was abducted when the man allegedly stole a white Honda Jazz early Monday morning – while the mother was quickly grabbing an item from a deli at Klemzig.
The car and baby was found safe and well about 10am.
Police revealed the desperate mother attempted to stop the alleged car thief driving off with her child.
“This morning police received a call from a very distraught mother in regards to her vehicle being stolen with her four-month-old child in the rear seat of the vehicle,” Superintendent Matt Nairn said.
“Mum described that the baby was seated in a capsule in the rear seat at the time, with mum trying to intervene and stop him from leaving.”
Police discovered the car at Enfield and say the child was found “safe and well” in the back seat.
Sept Nairn said “every available resource” in the metropolitan area was deployed in the search.
“To call it despicable is an understatement,” Supt Nairn said.
Exclusive CCTV footage revealed by 7NEWS showed the alleged offender looking in the rear window of the white hatchback, putting on his jacket and grabbing a backpack from the ute before taking off in the stolen car while the mother ran out of the shop and attempted to stop him.
Police say the mother “momentarily left the vehicle” to get groceries when the thief “took an opportunity”.
Police located the vehicle at 10.09am on Wilkinson Crt at Enfield.
“It is a great relief for SA Police to reunite mum and child,” Supt Nairn said.
It is understood the little boy was taken to be checked by a doctor as a precaution.
A Para Hills man, 37, was being questioned by police on Monday evening.
Supt Nairn said he “wouldn’t speculate” about the investigation but did say the alleged offender may face kidnapping charges.
SAPOL added that a second man had been arrested when police attended the house. Police said he had been arrested on an outstanding warrant.
The woman’s 2009 white Honda Jazz, S619AXE, car was stolen from Fourth Ave, Klemzig, around 7.45am with her baby in the back seat.
“It’s probably the greatest amount of distress to any parent to see this happen. It is a reminder to any parent – be careful,” Supt Nairn said.
“I don’t believe the mother has done anything wrong … we’re not apportioning any blame to the mum at all.”
Supt Nairn said the mother was “extremely relieved and very, very happy to be reunited with (her) baby”.
Supt Nairn said the mother, 29, would be “holding on to her children very tight” this afternoon.
“The investigation is secondary, primarily is the welfare of the child,” he said.
SA Police thanked the media for their help and the public in tracking down the vehicle, saying “multiple calls” were received with tip-offs as to the car’s location.
“The response from the public has been phenomenal and we do thank them,” Supt Nairn said.
Allan Porter was working at the deli when the incident unfolded and said the woman tried to stop the man.
“The customer went running out to try and stop him, she sort half went in front of the car, but she stepped back a little bit because I think she thought she would get run over,” he said.
“She was only in here for a minute or two, it all happened so quick.”
He said he didn’t recognise the man.
“I ran to the window, but by the time I saw him he was in the car and had a surgical mask on so I could only see his eyes,” he said.
Mark Blackborough lives in a home adjacent to the deli and said he heard the commotion just before 8am.
“We just heard voices from what sounded like it was between a man and a woman, but we tuned out cause it’s a busy place with the bus stop and deli,” he said.
“We didn’t realise the gravity of what was going on.”
He said he didn’t know about the incident until he read the SA Police social media post.
“You sort of wonder what could I have done?” he said.
“God knows what he’s done, but you can’t be driving around town with a child in the back of the car.”
One Wilkinson Crescent resident – in Enfield where the car was dumped with the baby inside – said he noticed police arriving out on the street in front of his house.
“I was inside watching television with my three-year-old when the car rocked up. At first I didn’t think much of it, but then more and more police showed up,” said the 28-year-old man.
“We saw them take the baby out of the car and put it into a police car until the mum arrived about 45 minutes later.
“It’s scaring cause we have two little ones in this house and it could have just as easily been my kid.”
Beba Baljeski has lived on the street for 24 years and said it has always been a very safe area to live.
“I saw three police cars leaving as I was coming home at around 11am. I was so worried about what might have happened, because that’s not something you usually see around here,” said the 73-year-old.
It is understood the thief was driving a Mazda utility he had stolen from Blackforest earlier in the morning.
The owner of the stolen Mazda, which he only purchased recently, had left his car running because of a faulty battery.
While he was attending to something in his garage, the suspect stole the vehicle.
The owner retrieved the ute from the Fourth Ave Deli on Monday afternoon and noticed a battery pack and some other items he’d left in the vehicle were missing.
Anyone who recognises the thief or has information that could assist police, is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Join the conversation
Crackdown on bad public house tenants to fix anti-social scourge
Bad public housing tenants will be hit with a new anti-social behaviour crackdown as the state’s biggest landlord moves to clean up taxpayer-funded homes.
Read more
‘I’ll slit you f******* throat’: Parent threatens child in classroom
A parent has been filmed threatening to ‘slit’ a 12-year-old’s throat at a private school in Adelaide’s north-eastern suburbs, with police now investigating the incident.
Read more