Volkswagen reportedly refused to help cops track stolen car with toddler inside

Volkswagen refused to help police locate a stolen SUV with a toddler trapped in the back until they were given an unpaid fee for use of the vehicle’s tracking device, Illinois cops said.

The car company has since admitted to a “serious breach of process” for the refusal to help cops, who said the foot-dragging led to a “delay” in their efforts to locate the tot, who was eventually recovered safely.

In a statement Friday, however, the troubled German carmaker tried to shift the lion’s share of the blame to another company.

“Volkswagen has a procedure in place with a third-party provider for Car-Net Support Services involving emergency requests from law enforcement,” a spokesperson told NBC.

“They have executed this process successfully in previous incidents. Unfortunately, in this instance, there was a serious breach of the process. We are addressing the situation with the parties involved.”

The Lake County Sherrif’s Office said the search for the abducted 2-year-old was stalled thanks to Volkswagen’s reluctance to fork over the vital information.

“Unfortunately, there was a delay, as Volkswagen Car-Net would not track the vehicle with the abducted child until they received payment to reactivate the tracking device in the stolen Volkswagen,” the law enforcement agency said.

It was not clear if the fee was paid before the child was found.

Police said the horrifying incident started when the 34-year-old mother pulled into her home in Libertyville, a village 40 miles north of Chicago, around 3:30 p.m. after a trip to the pet store.

She had just brought one of her children inside when the thieves pulled up for the heist.

She came back outside to take her toddler out of her Volkswagen Atlas SUV when she caught a man climbing out of the passenger side of a white BMW and trying to get into her car.

The unidentified mother tried to fend the carjacker off and rescue her son, but the man eventually overpowered the six-months-pregnant woman.

“The offender battered the woman, knocking her to the ground. He then stole her car with the child inside,” cops said.

Both cars raced from the scene, with one driver running the mother over as they fled.

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The mother called 911 and was rushed to an area hospital with serious injuries. She was treated for a broken pelvis and a broken elbow, CBS Chicago reported.

Police said they found the 2-year-old boy after a 911 caller reported seeing the two vehicles abandon “a small child” in the parking lot of a Waukegan business, some 10 miles from where he was abducted.

Officers eventually found the stolen car, but are still on the lookout for the two thieves.

The BMW is described as a 2000s model with a black bumper and a loud exhaust.

Police said the man who battered the pregnant mother is tall and thin and was last seen wearing a grey zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and a light green facemask.

Volkswagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.