Baby Girl Found Safe Inside Stolen Car in New Jersey: Authorities

The infant girl was in a car that was stolen in Hazlet, the Monmouth County prosecutor said

A baby girl was found safe inside inside a car that was stolen from Hazlet, N.J. and driven to Keyport, authorities said Wednesday.

The car was stolen from 13th Street in Hazlet shortly after noon and later abandoned on Broad Street in Hazlet, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said.  

Witness Anthony Percodani of Keyport saw the car come out of a corner and barrel "at least 40 miles per hour" down Broad Street, then cut quickly into a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. That's when the thief's trip was cut short. 

"A pickup truck was parked right here, and it had a really long trailer hitch on the back of it. It just put a big slice down the whole side of the car, and there was a hole in the tire," said Percodani. "That was it, the car wasn't going anyplace else." 

Dunkin Donuts employee Rodney Shields said the suspect came in and asked for cigarettes. When told cigarettes weren't sold there, he ran back out, stopped a yellow cab and jumped in. 

"I'm a parent, I was petrified for that kid," Percodani said of the child in the car. "I couldn't imagine what those parents felt, knowing that their child was in the back of a car being chased by the police." 

The infant is safe, authorities said. Police have taken a suspect into custody. 

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