Car theft with 7-month-old baby in back seat sparks search for suspect

Montreal police are searching for a driver they say stole a car while a seven-month-old baby was in the backseat Tuesday morning.

Authorities were called around 8:15 a.m. about the vehicle theft near a daycare in the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough in the city’s West Island.

Police say the suspect took the white Mazda without knowing a child was inside at the time. The driver then left the baby in a car seat on a sidewalk, not far from where the theft occurred.

The baby is safe and sound and reunited with family, according to police.

The stolen vehicle was located near Cremazie Boulevard in the city’s Villeray neighbourhood after police say it was involved in an accident.

The driver fled the scene on foot, police say. As of the afternoon, no arrests had been made.

Police say it’s still too early to know if charges will be laid against the baby’s mother for leaving the child unattended in the car.