Police: 2 men steal car with child in backseat in West Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say one suspect is in custody and another is on the loose after two people stole a car while a child was still inside on Sunday.

The child was discovered safe and Action News was there as detectives walked 5-year-old Jabri into Southwest Detectives.

"I went into the store. Where my car was parked at, it was visible to me where I could see my child. He was sleep and that's the reason why I didn't take him out of the car," said his mother Alicia Chainey.

Chainey ran into a restaurant at 60th and Lansdowne Avenue to place an order, and when she turned to see if her car and son were still outside, both had vanished.

"This was the worst day of my life, the worst day of my life. I stood in the middle of the street to see where the car went," she said.

Detectives say the two brazen bandits didn't realize Jabri was sleeping in the backseat until after they got behind the wheel. They dumped the car on the 500 block of Gross Street, and dropped Jabri off at 63rd and Haverford.

"He said when he woke up, he saw two big guys!" she said.

Last week at 57th and Haverford, another car was stolen with an infant inside. The stolen car and baby were found within a half hour. No sign of the thieves.

It's not clear if the same suspects are behind that incident but fortunately in both cases, the children involved were unharmed.

"This could have been so much worse. And I'm so thankful my son is safe," Chainey.

A cautionary tale to parents not to leave their children in unlocked, unattended cars.

If you have any information about the incident, you're asked to contact police at 215-686-TIPS.