Montreal police say two children are home after it appears they were unknowingly kidnapped in the city’s north end Thursday night.
Authorities were called around 6:50 p.m. to a parking lot on Léger Boulevard in Montreal North. A man’s vehicle was stolen with his two kids inside, according to police.
“It was likely a case where the thief saw the opportunity with the vehicle running and the doors unlocked,” Const. Jean-Pierre Brabant said.
Frantic searches for the children — aged three and 11 — got underway with a safety perimetre set up at the scene. A few minutes later, officers eventually found them safe and sound at their home.
Brabant says it appears the suspect dropped off the two kids and they walked back to their home.
No arrests have been made and the SUV remains missing.
An investigation is underway, but police do not believe the incident is related to any kind of family dispute. Brabant said police are following up, but no tickets or charges have been laid against the parents for leaving their kids alone inside the car.
This is an unfortunate reminder to not leave children in the car alone, especially in cold temperatures.
Quebec’s Highway Safety Code specifies a child under seven years old can’t be left unattended inside a car. People who violate that rule can face fines of up to $65. Depending on the severity of the situation, they could also face criminal charges.
“If you have to get out of the vehicle, please bring your children,” Brabant said.
Investigators will meet with the parents and try to get any potential information on the suspect. Police officers remained at the scene of the kidnapping to locate any video footage.
“At the end of the day, the good news is that those two children are okay,” he said.
Keeping children safe
Liane Fransblow, a co-ordinator for the injury prevention program at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and member of the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC), said incidents like this one are “more common than we realize.”
While CPSAC doesn’t collect statistics on car thefts, Kids and Cars Safety reports 265 cars were stolen with children inside in 2022 in the United States.
“Never leave them in the car,” Fransblow said.
Aside from theft, Fransblow pointed out other terrible risks associated with leaving kids unattended inside a vehicle — including heat stroke and carbon monoxide poisoning.
No matter how short the errand is or how cold it is outside, she advises never leaving kids alone in the car.
“We should be taking our kids with us, into the store, into the bank,” Fransblow said.
— with files from Global’s Gloria Henriquez