A 51-year-old homeless woman faces grand larceny and other charges for allegedly stealing a running car -- with a child inside -- when the mother stopped at a Long Island stationery store on Christmas Day, authorities say.
The woman told investigators she parked her 2016 Ford Fusion in a parking space in the lot on East Main Street around 11 p.m. and went inside Riverhead Stationery store. She acknowledged leaving the vehicle running and unattended at that time.
The heat was on, she said, because her 7-year-old child was sleeping in the back.
While the woman was inside the shop, a stranger -- later allegedly to be identified as Shawanna James -- got inside the car and drove off, the child still in tow.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
After an extensive search by the Riverhead Police Department, Southampton Police Department and state troopers, the vehicle was found in Flanders. The child, still sleeping, was the only person inside the vehicle.
No injuries were reported.
James was arrested Thursday following an investigation. She faces charges of child endangerment and criminal possession of stolen property in addition to grand larceny. James was expected to be arraigned on Friday.
Local
Attorney information for her wasn't immediately available.
