Car Stolen With 5-Year-Old Child Inside In Wolcott

WOLCOTT, CT — Police are searching for suspects after a car was stolen from a gas station with a child still inside late Sunday night, according to FOX 61. Police received the call around 11:30 p.m. from a Cumberland Farms on Meriden Road reporting a car had been stolen with a 5-year-old child inside.

An 11-year-old had also been in the car but jumped out before the vehicle drove away.

Wolcott police then requested an Amber Alert, WFSB 3-TV reported. Officers from Southington, Cheshire and Waterbury assisted in the search for the stolen car.

Police found the stolen vehicle at 1:45 a.m. on Knollwood Drive at Split Rock drive in the middle of the street. The child was in the back of the car sleeping and appeared physically unharmed, FOX 61 reported.

The child's mother said the experience was traumatic for her daughter and that she had been "shaking all night," according to WFSB 3-TV.

Police are still searching for the suspects who will face charges of stealing a motor vehicle, kidnapping, and risk of injury to a minor. Police have DNA evidence and fingerprints from the suspects that they found inside the car.

Police Chief Edward Stephens said that Wolcott has seen a "dramatic spike in vehicle thefts," WFSB 3-TV reported. He said everyone needed to remain vigilant and to not leave cars unlocked and running even briefly.