CARJACKED KIDS
3 tots safe after vehicle-steal ordeal
Three children kidnapped by a car thief were reunited with their parents in Brooklyn Friday, cops and witnesses said.
The kids were found at the corner of E. 78th St. and Farragut Ave. in Canarsie, several blocks from where they and the family car went missing.
The ordeal began around 4:30 p.m. when their mom popped into a store at the corner of Flatlands Ave. and E. 78th St., leaving her husband and ids in the family’s white 2005 Acura SUV.
The kids’ dad got out of the car to smoke a cigarette, leaving the car’s engine running, said sources.
The suspect walked past the car and then backtracked, hopped into the driver’s seat, and drove off, with the three kids in the back.
Frightened and worried, the parents flagged down a police officer, who put out a citywide broadcast that described the car and the kids. The NYPD’s 69th Precinct tweeted a picture of the family — including the children, a 1year-old girl, a 2-year-old boy, and an 8-year-old girl.
The 8-year-old got her dad’s phone, which he’d left in the car, and tried to call her parents, said cops. The suspect grabbed the phone from her.
Soon the suspect pulled over and ran off.
Around 5:15 — about 45 minutes after the heist — cops scouring the area found the car with the kids safe and sound inside.
“When we arrived, the kids looked very scared and nervous,” said Officer Matthew Woods.
Woods and his partner asked the kids how they were doing. “We’re OK,” answered the 8-year-old. “I tried to call Daddy.”
The children were taken to Kings County Hospital for a checkup.
The car was undamaged and parked on E. 78th St., a residential area.
Police late Friday were still looking for the carjacker, described as a black male in his 20s. He wore a gray hoodie, black jacket, black pants and construction boots.