A Connecticut man has been charged with kidnapping and risk of injury to a minor after he stole a car with a 3-year-old in the backseat, police said Thursday.
Haninef Baker, 28, was busted Wednesday night and scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday in Danielson Superior Court, according to Connecticut NBC affiliate WVIT.
Baker stole a Volkswagen Tiguan that was idling at a gas station in Willimantic around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, cops said in a Facebook post. But he faces the upgraded charges because there was a child in the back.
The suspect drove about 10 minutes south to Lebanon and dumped the child in front of a business, according to police. The child was recovered safely by police and has not been publicly identified.
After the hasty drop-off, Baker continued another 30 minutes south to Preston, authorities said. Officers captured him there.
Baker was charged with second-degree kidnapping, robbery involving an occupied motor vehicle, risk of injury to a minor, larceny of a motor vehicle and second-degree breach of peace, local CBS affiliate WFSB reported.
“When this call was received by the Willimantic Police Department, police personnel immediately sprang into action,” the department wrote on Facebook. “We believe these efforts were instrumental in the safe recovery of the child.”