Man seen on video abandoning 3-year-old girl on sidewalk after Oakland Park carjacking
FORT LAUDERDALE — Detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying a man they say carjacked a woman's vehicle while her 3-year-old daughter was still inside and later abandoned the toddler in Oakland Park earlier this week.
Around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Broward County Sheriff's Special Victims Unit was called out to a report of a stolen vehicle at 850 W. Commercial Blvd.
During the investigation, detectives learned that a mother and her daughter were involved in a car crash with another driver in the area. While the mother left her car to exchange information with the other driver, the unknown man jumped into the mother's vehicle and began to drive away while her toddler was still in her car seat, BSO said.
Investigators said the mom tried grabbing onto the front passenger door of her car and yelled out to the man that her daughter was still inside. She held onto her and was dragged along with it for a short bit before falling onto the ground as the man drove off.
As the investigation continued, detectives found surveillance video that captured several moments following the crash. First, the man is seen jumping out of the woman's car to take out her toddler and the car seat, abandoning them on a sidewalk. Then, he's seen in another video abandoning the car. And finally, the man is seen using the woman's credit card at a Family Dollar store.
If anyone recognizes the man or has any information about the incident, please call BSO SVU Det. Azucena Rodriguez at (954) 321-4227 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app. Anonymous tips can be shared with Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS (8477), online at browardcrimestoppers.org or by dialing **TIPS (8477).