NYC thief drives off with family's SUV, kidnapping 7-year-old boy
NEW YORK (PIX11) – A 7-year-old boy is safe after a thief drove off in his family’s SUV — right in front of their home.
His father was loading the car for a Thanksgiving road trip when the unthinkable happened.
“I’m thankful my son is back. Thank God,” said the boy’s father.
The boy was back with his family Friday night after what they described as a terrifying kidnapping.
“Everyone else, be aware. Anything can happen in a matter of seconds,” the still-shaken dad said.
While loading the car in front of their home, surveillance video showed a white car speeding onto MacDonough Place. It suddenly stopped, and the suspect switched cars in the blink of an eye and drove off in the family's Acura.
“That would be the last place I’d think something like this would happen, right in front of me," he remarked.
The boy’s father said he ran as far as possible after the stolen car before losing sight of it on I-95.
“I heard screaming and yelling. It happened in seconds,” the family's landlord recalled.
The child tried to call for help on his iPad. “He tried to call 911, but the guy took the tablet and hid it from him. He stole it,” the landlord said.
Police raced to the victim’s Country Club home and discovered the stolen 2024 SUV had GPS tracking. They tracked it down just off I-95 on Wright Avenue about 15 minutes later.
Incredibly, the boy was safe.
“We had faith and never lost faith,” Carlos said.
However, the suspect was gone.
“We have I-95 here, so we’re an easy target for thieves,” a neighbor said.
Residents of the once-tranquil street said it had become a haven for criminals in recent years and called for more proactive policing.
“My car was stolen on Election Day right in front of my home,” another resident said.
“Tires stolen, catalytic converters — they tried to steal my wife’s Jeep,” Robert Calanni, a neighbor and retired NYPD officer, said. “A gentleman down the block was robbed at gunpoint.”
“I’m glad my neighbors got their kid back. That’s the most important thing,” Robert added.
The boy was taken to Jacobi Medical Center as a precaution. He was physically OK but is now scared to sleep alone.
So far, no arrests have been made in the case.