10-month-old baby left abandoned on roadside following car theft

One Irish family’s world was turned upside down last weekend when their children’s lives were seriously threatened.

A 10-month-old baby was found abandoned at the side of the road, after the family’s car thief realised that he was not alone in the vehicle.

The incident occurred outside the family home at around 7pm on Sunday, on St Attracta Road in Cabra, Dublin.

It is believed that the child’s mother and her partner, both in their 20s, were about to set off on a car journey, along with their baby and another eight-year-old child. The two adults briefly went back into their home to retrieve something, leaving the two children in the car unattended.

The thief, who had been closely watching the family, saw this as his window of opportunity. He quickly jumped into the family’s Skoda car and took control of the vehicle. 

Terrified by the intrusion, the eight-year-old child managed to get out of the car before the driver sped off, but the 10-month-old baby was left strapped into the back seat.

It is believed that when the thief eventually realised that there was a child in the car, he quickly abandoned the baby on the side of the road before speeding off again.

Thankfully, the baby was quickly found and did not need any medical attention. Neither of the children were harmed as a result of the hijacking, but the family was understandably left shaken and upset.

No one has been arrested for the incident, and the family’s car has yet to be found. Gardaí are closely examining CCTV in an attempt to uncover more information.

Gardaí are also continuing to investigate whether or not the same person was involved in an attempted carjacking in nearby Phibsborough, just a few minutes before the family’s incident occurred.

“In this earlier incident a driver was stopped at lights when the suspect gained entry to his car, but the driver managed to exit the vehicle and run away with the keys of the vehicle,” a source for the Gardaí noted.

Gardaí have stated that they are following a definite line of inquiry, and that their investigations will continue.