A toddler vanished for five hours after a 17-year-old stole a running car from a Long Island driveway with the child in the back seat, police said.
Officers in Brentwood responded to Whipple Street around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, after a Honda Civic left running with a young child in the back seat was taken from a driveway, according to Suffolk County Police.
A large search effort followed. The vehicle, along with the 3-year-old child, was found on Bretton Road in Hauppauge at approximately 5 a.m. The child was unharmed and taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for evaluation.
Third Squad detectives arrested a 17-year-old Central Islip boy and charged him with grand larceny in the third degree in connection with the incident. His name is being withheld due to his age.
The investigation remains ongoing. Detectives asked anyone with information to contact the Third Squad at 631-854-8352 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-220-TIPS.
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