For The Second Time Thursday – Child Taken During Car Theft Recovered By Police
Police in Concord are looking for the thief who made off with a white Honda Odyssey van taken from a Wingstop location on Ygnacio Valley Road tonight – with a 4-month-old strapped in her car seat.
The van with child aboard was located by police after a sharp-eye police officer spotted the vehicle, still running, about 20 minutes after it was reported stolen from Wingstop shortly after 10 p.m.
Officers located the van and 4-month old near Garaventa Drive and Garaventa Court in Concord, determined the child was unharmed, and returned her to her family.
Earlier in the evening, at around 5:45 p.m., Pittsburg police responded to 95 Bliss Avenue in their city in regards to a vehicle theft in which a one-year-old child had been taken.
Police said a woman approached the child’s father as he talked with another man outside the running van, asked for a cigarette and then got in and made off with the car when the men denied her request – the man’s one-year-old daughter secured in a carseat inside.
The car was located by police a short time later – the child inside and unharmed. The alleged thief was not with the car.
In a release issued Friday, Pittsburg police said they received a call from a concerned citizen just after midnight, the citizen reporting that a woman walking on Harbor Street matched the description of the woman who took the car.
The woman was described as a white female adult in her 30’s, with medium build and an unknown tattoo on her face.
Officers arrived in the area and contacted the woman, identifying her as 24 year old Nataly Ayala. Ayala was later positively identified as the person involved and she was placed under arrest for kidnapping and vehicle theft, according to police. She is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility pending review of the case by the District Attorney.
No immediate link was drawn between the Pittsburg incident, Ayala, and the later incident in Concord, which was reported just after 10 p.m. Concord police responded to the parent’s frantic cries for help after someone drove off with their Honda Odyssey van – their 4-month-old inside – from a Concord Wingstop outlet.
The van, still idling, was spotted by a Concord police officer less than 20 minutes later – the child safe inside.
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I guess the parents left a child in the car in both cases? Later at night even for a short time, I guess is risky nowadays.
What do you want to bet that the perpetrator is probably someone that was recently emptied out of prison and / or running around with a warrant on them.
Voters need to wake up and stop electing these politicians and officials who are letting this happen. They seem to love the criminals and hate your good citizens.
@ Greg T, you got it, Bubba!
This went past my scheduled bedtime but have they found the person or person who stole the cars? Same person? And were the children the objective or just unwilling victims when a crook decided to make off with mom and dad’s car?
Leaving a 4 month old child in the car alone … Sounds like Child Protective Services need to investigate the safety for this child.
Im going with the thief or thiefs wanted whatever was in those cars instead of the babies.
More weed for everyone. Take things down a notch.
Placer County for the hat trick!
Saw that. Crazy
Those alerts were coming fast and furious.
Try turning off the engine and locking the car. Take your valuables with you…
there’s got to be a ton of video out there on this.
Guy pulled up to the club and parked his very shiny new ride in the blue slot — and left it running while he went inside. I was tempted to get in and move it to another part of the parking lot just to mess with his head.
and now a new one heading our way possible tonight? These poor kids