Florida Man Steals Car With Baby Still Inside, Then Drops Baby Off at Nearby Gas Station

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The suspect may be a thief, but a kidnapper he refuses to be.

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According to the Palm Beach Post, a Florida man who deputies say stole a car with a baby still strapped inside pulled over at a gas station where surveillance video shows him handing off the baby to a clerk before fleeing.

โ€œTake the baby! Take the baby!โ€ the man apparently pleaded.

Michelle Ashby, who co-owns the Jackโ€™s Place restaurant located inside the Sunoco gas station, said that the suspect knocked on the door of the stationโ€™s convenience store to get the attention of the overnight clerk. Surveillance footage shows the suspect, dressed in a white tank and dark pants, pulling up in the dark car before he gets out, takes the babyโ€™s car seat out of the car and approaches the store.

The Palm Beach County Sheriffโ€™s Office said that the suspect stole the black vehicleโ€”which was left with its engine runningโ€”at around 4 a.m. from another gas station at Wallis and Haverhill roads, just west of the Palm Beach International Airport.

He then drove some 6 miles to the Sunoco gas station just south of Okeechobee Boulevard on State Road 7 and passed the baby over to the night worker.

โ€œ[The clerk] said the suspect appeared to be scared and in a hurry when he knocked on the door,โ€ Ashby said.

The infant, who is 5 months old, was peacefully asleep in the carrier, and the clerk immediately called 911. When deputies arrived, the child was just starting to wake up and fuss.

โ€œIt hurt my heart because being a mom of four, I knew he was hungry,โ€ she said. When the mother arrived, โ€œshe was just happy and relieved to have her baby,โ€ Ashby said.

Deputies tracked the stolen vehicle some 3 miles away; however, as of Tuesday afternoon, the suspect was still at large.

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