Philadelphia Police Use Toy to Track Stolen SUV with 4-Year-Old Boy Inside
Philadelphia police used a child's toy to track and locate a kidnapped 4-year-old boy early Thursday.
The search began shortly before midnight Wednesday when police responded to a report of a stolen SUV that still had a child inside, KYW-TV reports. A mother had left her vehicle running with her 4-year-old son asleep in the back while she went to get her phone.
When officers spoke with the mother, she told them that the boy had a toy with an electronic tracker inside. A family member was able to use a phone to track the toy, and police deployed its aviation unit.
Updates from the toy directed a police helicopter to the stolen SUV roughly a mile away. Officer reached the scene and found the car abandoned with the boy asleep inside.
"The child is fine. No injuries," said Chief Inspector Scott Small. "We don't know if the child knew what has happened because the child is still sleeping right now, but child is with mother, and the child is fine."
Police are investigating to see if the SUV was intentionally stolen to kidnap the child.
"Although it may not have been an intentional kidnapping, it is still a kidnapping since this vehicle was stolen with a 4-year-old child inside," said Small.
