Suspect Quickly Returns Stolen Vehicle When He Noticed Toddler Passenger

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SANTA ROSA – A vehicle left running in the driveway with a one-and-a-half-year-old boy inside was stolen from a Santa Rosa home.

The father of the child reported to authorities on Monday, August 20, 2018, at around 1:15 p.m. that his vehicle with the child inside the back seat was taken from the home in the 1100 block of Orchard Street. He told authorities that they were in the process of moving and he left the car running with the child inside as he ran inside to grab a few things from inside the house.

As the 2008 Mercedes-Benz sat in the driveway of the home, the suspect, later identified as Stephan Salazar, 28, of Santa Rosa, got into the driver’s seat and drove away. When the father of the child returned moments later, the vehicle was gone. The father got into a second vehicle to look for the child and vehicle. Police did an area search and a CHP helicopter flew in from Oakland to assist in the search. Around 10 minutes after the original call, the suspect drove the vehicle back to the home. He surrendered to the officers who were at the scene. The child was returned to his father unharmed.

Salazar was booked at the Sonoma County Jail for 10851 (a) CVC, Vehicle theft, 207(a) PC, Kidnapping and 273a PC, Child Endangerment.