Little girl found abandoned in alley near Union Station after apparently being dropped off from stolen SUV
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A sport-utility vehicle was stolen with a child inside Wednesday night, and the little girl was abandoned in an alley near Union Station.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, the girl – believed to be 3 years old – was reunited with her parents at Lurie Children's Hospital late Wednesday. You can only imagine how scary the ride with a stranger must have been for the child, who was inside the car when it was stolen at Roosevelt Road and Clinton Street.
CBS 2 was there when Chicago Police officers carried the child away as she cried for her mother. The child was wrapped in a white blanket.
Breaking now: @Chicago_Police carry a child who was inside stolen car when thieves took it from the driver. The child is being checked out at hospital details on the case moments away at 10pm @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/gsvbZ8HvxY
— Jermont Terry (@JermontTerry) April 14, 2022
Police said at 8:38 p.m., girl's the 26-year-old mother got out of the SUV "for a brief moment" at Roosevelt Road and Clinton Street while leaving the child inside, at which point a thief got in and drove the SUV away.
The investigation shows someone found the child wandering in an alley near Jackson Boulevard and Clinton Street. It is believed whoever stole the car dropped her off - leaving her alone in the dark alley.
The stranger who found the child brought her to a lobby of an apartment complex – where police and fire crews took her to the hospital.
Police later found the SUV abandoned at 44th Street and Shields Avenue in Fuller Park.
It preliminarily appears the SUV was stolen when it was left running with the child inside and the thief jumped in – only quickly to notice the girl was in the vehicle.
It was not clear late Wednesday how long the girl was alone in the car with the thief.
It appeared that the girl was physically OK late Wednesday, but doctors were checking her out to make sure nothing else nefarious happened while she was in the vehicle alone with a stranger.