Thief steals Irvington, NJ dad’s car with nonverbal child inside, reports say

⭕ A running car was reportedly stolen in Irvington Wednesday

⭕ The car had a child inside and was abandoned a few blocks away

⭕ Police are searching for at least one male suspect

IRVINGTON — A father was dismayed to see his car stolen with his child still inside the vehicle Wednesday, according to reports.

Ring camera footage showed the theft on Elmwood Avenue around 8 a.m., ABC 7 Eyewitness News reported.

Dwayne King had just put on his 7-year-old son Jayden's seatbelt and went to put a recycling container back behind his home. In just a moment, the black Mercedes was taken from the driveway.

Video appeared to show a Black male suspect wearing a white sleeveless shirt and black shorts getting out of a blue sedan before the theft. He then ran over and jumped in the SUV with the child still in the backseat.

Within minutes, Irvington police found the stolen Mercedes still running a few blocks away, RLS Media reported.

Jayden was in the SUV. He was unharmed.

The boy's mother, Avionne King, told ABC 7 that it was fortunate that it was a cop who found Jayden because he is nonverbal and has no way to communicate with strangers.

The Irvington police are handling the investigation. New Jersey 101.5 has reached out to the Irvington police for more information.

It's not the first time car thieves have stolen a car in Irvington with a child in the backseat.

MORE: Car stolen in Irvington, NJ with infant in backseat

In October 2022, a Mercedes SUV with an infant inside was stolen from Clinton Avenue. Nearly three hours passed before it was found in Newark's South Ward. The infant was safe and awake.

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