14-Year-Old Steals Car With Toddler Inside, Harrisburg Police Say

A Harrisburg parent went through a nightmare situation when they went to lock their front door and a 14-year-old hopped in the driver's seat of their car and speed off— with their toddler in the backseat, police say.

A stock image of a toddler in a carseat, the McDonald's where the child was found and the neighborhood where the teen was stopped in the stolen vehicle.
Photo Credit: *Unsplash/Alexander Grey @sharonmccutcheon (overlay); Google Maps (Street View)*

Jillian Pikora

03/13/2023 11:54 a.m.

The parent had left the toddler in their car seat with the car running when they quickly ran back to lock the door in the 2600 block of Lexington Street around 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, 2023, according to Harrisburg Police Department.

The parent, "observed an unknown person enter into their vehicle and drive off with their child still in their vehicle," and called the police, as explained in the release.

"A large search for the vehicle and child was initiated, and officers from multiple jurisdictions responded to the area to assist with the search," the police said.

Around 4 p.m. the car was spotted near the intersection of South 22nd and Brookwood streets and the unnamed teen was arrested, but the child was no where to be found, according to the police.

Sometime later a child was found all alone at the McDonald's in Uptown Plaza, "It was determined that the child located was the one that was taken with the vehicle. The child was located unharmed and safe," the police say.

Details of any charges against the teen were not released.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Harrisburg Police at 717-558-6900.

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