Police: Thief abandons SUV in North Philly after finding boy sleeping inside

A thief discovered a child sleeping inside a vehicle shortly after it was stolen, and then took the child out before abandoning the vehicle in North Philly, officials say.

According to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small, the incident unfolded at about 7:50 p.m. on Tuesday, when a woman who was delivering packages in her personal vehicle — a Jeep Grand Cherokee — stopped to make a delivery in North Philadelphia.

Her five-year-old son was asleep in the back seat, he said, as she stepped out to drop off a package.

At that time, a thief jumped into the vehicle, got behind the wheel and drove off, Small said.

However, after driving about two blocks, the thief stopped the vehicle along the 2900 block of Stillman Street and took the child out of the SUV and left the boy there.

The thief, Small said, then drove away in the Jeep before abandoning the vehicle about a half-mile away near the intersection of Westmoreland Street and West Hunting Park Avenue.

Shortly after the child was left alone, Small said, neighbors noticed the boy and contacted the police.

The child was found by officers and was unharmed, he said.

An investigation into this incident, Small said, remains ongoing.