MERRIAM, Kan. – A mother was sent into a fit of panic when a thief took off with her car and two-year-old who was sleeping in the backseat.
The child’s mother says she got out of the car for just a minute, and that was enough time for a man to jump in and drive away.
Tanisha Jackson, her son and her boyfriend were all in the process of moving into the Georgetown Apartments in Merriam. She says it was about 3:30 in the morning. Her son was sleeping in the backseat and she didn’t want to disturb him, so she left him in the car as she got out to talk to her boyfriend, who had parked his van full of their stuff just a few spaces away.
“We were kind-of doing it late so I just left him in there so we could hurry up and get all of the stuff inside,” she said.
After she got out of the car, she saw a man walk by, but didn’t think much of it. In the time it took for her to walk over to her boyfriend, a man jumped in her running car and took off with her son inside.
Jackson didn’t want to show her face on camera, because the guy who stole her car and her son was still on the loose as of Tuesday night.
“But I had seen him before and he said that he forgot something and then he turned around and then I saw him in my car,” she said.
Jackson says she ran after the car, then tried to chase it in her boyfriend’s van, but they didn’t see which way it went. Seven minutes later, police found the car just over a mile away, by the IKEA on Johnson Drive.
“He like ditched the car because I guess he realized that there was a kid in there,” said Jackson.
Fortunately the child was asleep the whole time.
“I was so relieved. I couldn’t stop, I never cried so hard in my life. I was just so happy that he was ok,” she said.
Merriam police say since winter has returned there has been a rash of car thefts.
“Overland Park had numerous cars stolen yesterday, we had cars stolen yesterday with people leaving them warming up,” said Chief Michael Daniels with the Merriam Police Department.
The police have begun issuing tickets to people who leave their car’s running and unattended. Even though Jackson qualifies, she is not getting a ticket.
“This is a very upsetting thing. Her child was stolen for seven minutes. That to me, she has probably learned her lesson about leaving her car running and unlocked,” said Chief Daniels.
“Even if you are gone for a second just take them with you. It is so much safer,” said Jackson.
Because a child was inside police have this listed as a kidnapping and want to find the guy who did it.
Police say a dark colored pick-up truck was also seen leaving the Georgetown Apartments parking lot at the time Jackson’s car was stolen. If you have any information, please call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.