Albuquerque Police Rescue 3-Year-Old Girl After Being Abducted by Car Thief

Earlier this year in January, the Albuquerque Police Department was out in full force looking for a 3-year-old girl who had been kidnapped inadvertently when a car thief stole a vehicle.

According to police, in the early morning of January 3^rd around 8:30 a.m. Caraline, a 3-year-old was in the backseat of her mothers car with her seatbelt on when her mother quickly stepped out to fill up a jug or water only 10 feet away, and that’s when a man quickly hopped into the driver's seat and fled.

An amber alert was soon issued after the mother reported the car theft and officers were initially able to locate the stolen vehicle near a local thrift store, although neither the suspect nor Caraline were found. Hours later around 1:30 a.m. officer Chris Poccia located the freezing little girl in an empty parking lot during a coordinated grid search.

While it was very cold outside, Caraline did not suffer hypothermia or injuries. The suspect who had remained at large was found days later after being caught on surveillance footage from the grocery store where he had initially stolen the vehicle.