Toddler left in van gets kidnapped, so dad is charged with child abuse, NC police say

A man who left his van running with a 3-year-old inside is accused of child abuse after a stranger jumped in the vehicle and drove away, according to investigators in North Carolina.

The child was found abandoned along with the van about 1 mile away, according to the High Point Police Department.

A suspect has been arrested.

The theft happened around 8:40 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, outside the Food Lion store in High Point, about an 80-mile drive northeast from Charlotte.

“A man told officers he went inside the store and left his van running with his three-year-old child inside. When he came out of the store, he said someone was driving his van out of the parking lot,” police said.

“About ten minutes later, an officer found the van abandoned with the child inside. ... The child was not injured.”

The 31-year-old suspect was found around 9:10 p.m., walking in the 400 block of S. Main Street, police said. He was arrested and “charged with first-degree kidnapping, abduction of children, felony larceny and possession of stolen goods.”

“The child’s father was cited for misdemeanor child abuse and having an unattended vehicle left running at a public place,” police said.

This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 5:52 AM with the headline "Toddler left in van gets kidnapped, so dad is charged with child abuse, NC police say."