HICKORY, N.C. — The Hickory Police Department is searching for a suspect accused of stealing a car with a 3-year-old child inside the vehicle.
According to police, the child was located safely inside the stolen vehicle hours later, but say the suspect is still on the run.
Police said the incident happened at the Walmart Neighborhood Market Gas Station located at 483 Hwy 70 SW.
According to police, the father was pumping gas into his 2017 Honda Accord and had walked over to the outside cashier to pay for his gas.
While paying for the gas, a dark blue Volkswagen Jetta pulled beside his car and an unidentified subject wearing a hooded shirt with the hood pulled up exited the passenger side of the Volkswagen and jumped into the driver’s seat of the Honda Accord, police said.
The suspect stole the victim’s vehicle with his 3-year-old daughter seated in the rear passenger area of the vehicle.
Police said the vehicle was later located at around 10:16 p.m. in the 400 block of 33rd Ave SW by a Longview Police Officer patrolling the area. The 3-year-old child was found unharmed inside the abandoned vehicle.
Dispatch audio captured the moments when the Longview police officer found the child.
"I believe I'm out with that gray Honda from Hickory," the officer told a dispatcher.
He approached the car, and moments later, he radioed back to dispatch.
"County, I got the child here in the back seat," the officer said.
Francine Duell lived near the child's mother and babysat the girl.
"Oh my God," Duell said. "That just hurts my heart because I don't know if she's okay or not."
People who knew the family told NBC Charlotte the girl is okay, but she was scared through the abduction.
The suspect is described as being light-skinned, wearing a light-colored hoodie and bandanna. The suspect’s race and sex are unknown at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this on-going investigation is encouraged to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-328-5551 or contact Inv. J. Truesdell directly at 828-261-2636 or jtruesdell@hickorync.gov