'It happened that fast': Mother shares terrifying moment her car with toddler inside was stolen

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Frightening moments for a family in Detroit after their car is stolen with a toddler in the back seat. The child is safe and three teens are under arrest in connection with the crime.

"It happened that fast," said Dejuonai Gray, the child's mother.

In an instant, Dejuonai Gray’s car was stolen from Seven Mile near Montrose. Her toddler, was still inside the vehicle Friday morning.

"I stepped out of the car for a split second, stood by the door, my sister was walking in the hair shop," she said."I was trying to make sure that she was settled in, it was her first time being at the shop. I’m standing between outside and the side of the shop, I turn around and my whole car's gone."

Gray says she was inside for just a moment, and a woman working in the hair salon corroborates that.

"She stayed in here for only about a minute and 30 seconds - she started screaming where's my car at, and she was like my baby was in the car," said the employee. "We went outside, and we were running up and down the street for at least five minutes looking for the baby."

Detroit police say the suspect drove west on Seven Mile and took the 1-year-old out. They say a good Samaritan saw the whole thing, picked the baby up, and found mom as she was frantically searching for the child.

"A man was walking up the street, he had my baby, .... he said 'I’m just happy he's okay,'" Dejuonai said.

FOX 2 is not showing the child’s face to protect his privacy for the family.

"She made the fatal flaw of actually leaving her vehicle running with her child inside," said Lt. Clive Stewart, DPD Commercial Auto Theft.

Police describe Gray’s vehicle as a blue 2019 Hyundai accent with scratches on the gas tank cover and an orange Detroit Medical Center parking pass on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Police say the original plate had been taken off the vehicle. They put out a bolo in search of the car and the suspects. DPD says three persons of interest are in custody but they say they’re still looking for the vehicle.  

FOX 2: "Can she face charges?"

"At this point I can't speak on that, right now we are just happy that the child is back with the mother and it didn't turn out any worse than what it is. I don’t want to beat her up any more than she already has been - that’s really not up to me," Stewart said..

Police say Children's Protective Services has been notified as of late Friday afternoon, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office had not received a warrant package regarding any charges in the case.

The suspect could be facing multiple charges including unlawful driving away of an automobile with possible kidnapping or child abduction.