PORTLAND, Ore. — A car was stolen with a 2-year-old girl inside in Northeast Portland Thursday morning, but the child was found safe a short time later. The suspect is still at large, and Portland police are asking the public to help locate them.
On Thursday evening, the car, a dark blue 2017 Subaru Outback, was found in the area of Southeast Morrison Terrace and Southeast 202nd Avenue in Gresham, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The suspect was not located, and investigators planned to process the vehicle for evidence.
The incident happened near the intersection of Northeast Halsey Street and Northeast 126th Avenue, according to the Portland Police Bureau. The girl was sitting in the car while it warmed up, and her father had gone inside the family's home for a moment. The father, Will Stevens, told KGW the car had been parked in the driveway, very close to the house.
He came back out just as a young man wearing a beanie jumped into the car and began to drive off. Stevens opened a car door and yelled that there was a child inside, but the suspect drove away. Police were called to the scene at 7:21 a.m., initially on reports of a child abduction.
"We were terrified. I was hopeful that they were just trying to boost the car and they would recognize that it is a much different situation," Stevens said.
A short time later, a neighbor spotted a car driving recklessly near Northeast San Rafael Street and 113th Avenue, which is about a mile away from the theft site. The resident then spotted the girl walking down the street and flagged down a nearby police officer.
"She had no shoes on, her feet were red, so I was kind of holding her feet a bit," said Danielle Tran, who found the missing girl.
The 2-year-old was reunited with her parents.
"She had a really scared look on her face, she was shaking, but I think that was more the result of, she was out walking without socks," Stevens said.
Anyone with information about the suspect or with home security footage of the incident is asked to call 503-823-0400 or email crimetips@police.portlandoregon.gov.
There have been seven similar incidents in the Portland metro area in just the past few years. In each case, a car was momentarily left running with a child inside, and a suspect jumped in and drove off. The children were all recovered unharmed; in many cases, the suspect dropped the child off a short time later and then continued on with the stolen vehicle.
In September of 2022, someone stole a car with a sleeping 7-year-old girl inside in Southeast Portland, briefly prompting an Amber Alert before she was found.
Portland police data shows there have been almost 7,000 stolen vehicles citywide so far in 2023, although that actually represents a decline compared to last year.