A two-year-old girl was found unharmed after her mother's car was stolen with her inside while the mother was making an Instacart delivery in Atlanta on Thursday. The dramatic event unfolded around 4:36 p.m. on Spring Street NW.
The mother, whose identity has not been released, made a distressed 911 call upon discovering her vehicle missing, realizing her daughter was still in the back seat. "I was dropping off an Instacart order and I came back outside and my car is gone," she told the dispatcher, her voice filled with panic. "My daughter was inside."
Atlanta Police located the stolen vehicle and apprehended a suspect, identified as 21-year-old Saleem Martin, within 15 minutes of the theft using license plate readers. Body camera footage captured the moment officers removed Martin from the car, where the toddler was audibly distressed.
During the reunion with her mother, the child reportedly stated that "the man did it" when asked why the bottom of her dress was unbuttoned, referring to the driver of the car. According to an arrest warrant, police found Martin with "both his hands on" the toddler's torso and attempting to hide between the seats.
Martin faces multiple charges, including kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children, and criminal attempt to commit a felony. He allegedly told investigators he was only touching the child to calm her down and claimed he took the car because he was trying to get back to his home state of New Jersey. He stated he did not initially notice the child in the backseat.
Authorities reported that Martin admitted to dumping an iPad from the car because he suspected it had tracking capabilities. He also said he tried to hide in the backseat when he noticed patrol vehicles.
The mother stated she was out of her car for no more than four minutes. The child was reunited with her parents and found to be unharmed. Martin was denied bond and is scheduled for a pre-indictment preliminary hearing on August 24.