4-year-old child asleep in back seat when SUV was stolen in Ontario city

A four-year-old child who was left sleeping in the back seat of an SUV when it was stolen from a Guelph plaza on Monday was located a short time later in good health — and still asleep, police say.

The child’s mother called police shortly before 4:30 p.m. to report her SUV had been taken from the area of Willow Road and Westwood Road in the city’s west end with her child still inside.

“Police were told a man had left a business with stolen merchandise. When an employee tried to stop him, the man exposed himself before getting into the SUV and driving away,” Guelph Police said in a news release, adding “officers from across the city rushed to the area” to help search for the child and the stolen vehicle.

Police noted front-line officers in addition to members of various other units including traffic, drug, auto theft and general investigations squads quickly joined the effort to locate the woman’s child.

It didn’t take police long to locate both the young child and stolen SUV.

“The SUV was located parked on a nearby street approximately 16 minutes after it was reported stolen. The child was still asleep inside and was not physically injured,” police said, adding the Guelph Police communications unit “supported the operation by connecting responding officers to vital information to aid in the search.”

In the wake of the incident, police remind caregivers never to leave children or pets unattended in vehicles, even for a short time. On hot days, temperatures inside a vehicle can rise quickly and create a serious risk of heat-related illness or death, they added.

Guelph Police Chief Gord Cobey praised all involved in the search “for their excellent response, which ensured this emergency situation was quickly and safely resolved.”

Police also located and arrested a suspect near where the stolen SUV was found.

A 29-year-old Guelph man is charged with motor vehicle theft, theft under $5,000 and committing an indecent act. He was held for a bail hearing.