Vadim Vorobyov, age 52, of Springfield, is charged with kidnapping, child endangerment, and fugitive from justice in Connecticut and is also expected to be charged with kidnapping, child endangerment, and motor vehicle larceny in Massachusetts, State Police said.
Vorobyov stole the running car when he came across it outside of a home on Exchange Street in Chicopee around 8:40 a.m., police said. The Camry's license plate was captured as it went south on I-91 in Longmeadow.
Police found the empty vehicle in a Connecticut shopping center parking lot in Hartford County on Kennedy Road in the town of Windsor. Soon after, an employee of a nearby Rodeway Inn & Suites on Bridge Street in East Windsor, called police to report a car had pulled up and left a baby in the parking lot before speeding away, authorities said.
Officers arrested Vorobyov at Anytime Fitness in Windsor around 10:40 a.m.
The child was not harmed, but it was taken to a doctor for evaluation.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Amherst and receive free news updates.