By Kelsey Durham
Police were searching for a suspect they said stole a car in Corona early Sunday morning with a 2-year-old child in the back seat, the NYPD said.
Authorities said a woman was double-parked at the corner of 108th Street and 49th Avenue just after midnight while she entered a bodega across the street and left her toddler in the back seat. The woman came out of the store to see a man getting into the vehicle, a blue 2008 Hyundai Accent rental car with Florida license plates, police said.
The man drove off, heading north on 108th Street, with the child still in the back seat, according to the NYPD.
The car was found two hours later at the corner of 98th Street and 47th Avenue, about 12 blocks from where it was stolen, with the child still in the back seat uninjured, police said. The keys were missing and the doors were locked, but emergency responders were able to retrieve the 2-year-old.
The child was taken to Elmhurst Hospital for observation, but police said the toddler suffered no apparent injuries.
The suspect, who is still being sought by police, was described as a 5-foot-9 male with an average build, wearing a white T-shirt and a baseball cap, the NYPD said. Police were still investigating the incident but said the mother would not be charged.
Reach reporter Kelsey Durham at 718-260-4573 or by e-mail at kdurham@cnglocal.com.
