A two-year-old girl was found unharmed after her mother's car was stolen with her inside while the mother completed an Instacart delivery in Atlanta on Thursday.
Atlanta Police apprehended Saleem Martin, 21, within 15 minutes of the theft using license plate readers. The incident occurred around 4:36 p.m. at 930 Spring Street NW. The mother, who was making a delivery, returned to find her car missing with her daughter still in the back seat.
Body camera footage released by the Atlanta Police Department shows officers removing Martin from the car's back seat as the toddler cried. In a 911 call released by authorities, the distressed mother could be heard crying and describing the situation. "I was dropping off an Instacart order and I came back outside and my car is gone," she stated in the call. "My daughter was inside."
Authorities stated that after being reunited with her daughter, the mother noted that the toddler's dress was unbuttoned. The child reportedly said, "the man did it," referring to the driver of the stolen vehicle. Police found Martin with his hands on the toddler's torso, allegedly attempting to hide between the seats.
Martin faces charges including kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children, and criminal attempt to commit a felony. He told investigators that he was only touching the child to calm her down and that he had taken the car because he was trying to return to his home state of New Jersey.
According to the warrant, Martin claimed he did not initially notice the child in the backseat. He stated he dumped an iPad he found in the car because he suspected it had tracking capabilities. He also said he was trying to hide after noticing patrol vehicles.
The mother stated she was out of her car for no more than four minutes. The child was found crying but was unharmed and reunited with her parents.
Martin appeared in court on Friday and was denied bond. His next court date is scheduled for August 24 for a pre-indictment preliminary hearing. An attorney for Martin had not been listed as of Sunday afternoon.