Baby in stolen car found safe in Puyallup

It only took a minute, according to police, when a mother left her 16-month-old baby girl in the car when she ran inside to a day care center, with the car still running.

Then in the blink of an eye, car was stolen and the baby inside was gone.

The baby was found safe and sleeping inside the car stolen outside in Puyallup Tuesday morning just 30 minutes after it was taken.

The gold Ford Focus was reported missing around 10:30 a.m. from the Kindercare Learning Center located at 10221 152nd St. E. in Puyallup.

Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said they set up K9 tracks to find the suspect, who abandoned the car on a dirt road at 151st St. E. and 110th Ave. E..

Troyer said the suspect is a white male in his teens wearing jeans, a green coat, and a camouflage backpack. A neighbor had spotted him as he hid under bushes and made a call.

Shortly after that, Troyer said the neighbor reported that a car came by and picked the teen up, fleeing the area.

The situation is a reminder about safety, according to Troyer. He said there were people standing around in the parking lot, it was daylight, and it was a place as seemingly innocent as a daycare center. “If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere.”