Audi Stolen in Westchester County With Child Inside

Cops in Westchester County are looking for a thief who stole an idling Audi in broad daylight with a child inside Thursday as the owner escorted another child to the bus stop, officials say.

It wasn’t immediately clear how long the vehicle had been idling with the child inside, but it couldn’t have been long. Eastchester Police got a 911 call just after 8 a.m. that it had been taken. They say the owner was in the “immediate vicinity” at the time and saw a man enter the Audi. The owner tried to stop the thief, but he drove off, child in tow.

At some point, the thief realized the kid was in the car and removed the child from the vehicle at Scarsdale Avenue and Harney Road, police say. Witnesses said he then tried to get back in the stolen Audi, but once he saw there were witnesses, he fled in a vehicle that had pulled up alongside him. The car went toward the Bronx River Parkway.

The Audi was recovered and the child, unharmed, quickly reunited with the parents.

Police didn’t share the age of the child. They did, however, say they’ve seen a worrisome spike in such crimes lately.

“We are fortunate that no one was harmed in this incident. Unfortunately, over the past two years we have seen a significant increase in the number of stolen automobiles along with larcenies from vehicles,” Eastchester Police Chief Joseph Rodriguez said in a statement. “As always, we remind residents to remain vigilant of their surroundings, never leave their vehicle running unoccupied, never leave their key inside the vehicle, and ensure to lock their vehicles especially overnight.”

No arrests have been made in this case. The Audi owner and witnesses described the suspect as being about 20 years old and 6 feet tall with a thin build and dreadlocks. The vehicle he got into after dumping the kid was a white Audi SUV with four men and a woman inside. Those four are believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Eastchester’s detective division at 914-961-3464.