Jaquan Shiggs hopped behind the wheel of the vehicle left running in the parking lot of CVS on Valley Street around 2:05 p.m., South Orange police said.
Moments after a description of the suspect and vehicle were broadcast to South Orange and Maplewood police, a South Orange officer spotted it and attempt to pull him over — the 1-year-old child strapped into a car seat in the back, police said.
The officer pursued the vehicle on multiple streets in South Orange and approximately two minutes later it lost control, drove partially off the road and then collided with a parked, unoccupied USPS vehicle, police said.
Shiggs then got out of the car and began running, multiple South Orange and Maplewood police officers chasing after him through yards, police said.
The child was immediately removed from the vehicle uninjured, as Shiggs was taken into custody.
Shiggs has been charged with kidnapping, theft, eluding by flight, and endangering the welfare of a child. More charges may follow and the investigation is ongoing.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office was notified.
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