Crying 9-Year-Old In Back Seat Scares Off Manchester Car Thief

MANCHESTER, CT — A car thief in Manchester abandoned a stolen vehicle after realizing a 9-year-old girl was in the back seat, police said.

The incident began at 9:30 Wednesday night at the Shell gas station at 404 Hartford Road.

Surveillance video of the car theft shows a gray four-door sedan pull up next to a running vehicle, according to a police report. A man then climbed into the car and drove away, according to a police report.

According to a report, a 9-year-old girl who had been asleep in the back of the car woke up, realized her mom wasn't driving, and began crying, police said.

The startled thief then parked the car on a nearby entrance ramp to Interstate-384 and fled the scene, according to a police report.

The child made her way back to tue gas station, a distance of about a quarter-mile, police said. She was with her mother — uninjured — when police arrived.

The thief is being described as "a teenage young man" who was wearing gray shorts, a navy blue shirt and a black mask.

Detectives in the MPD Investigative Services Unit are investigating the case. Anyone with information on the incident can call 860-645-5500.