Additional Coverage:
- HEAR IT: Mom’s frantic 911 call after thief steals Instacart driver’s car with toddler inside (foxnews.com)
A routine Instacart delivery in Atlanta took a terrifying turn when a Georgia mother’s car was stolen with her 2-year-old daughter still inside. Newly released 911 audio and police body camera footage reveal the frantic moments leading to the child’s rescue.
In the 911 call, the mother can be heard urgently telling the dispatcher, “Someone just stole my car and it has my 2-year-old daughter in it.” When asked if her daughter was inside, she replies, “Yes, my 2-year-old daughter was in the backseat.
I was dropping off an Instacart order, came back outside, and my car was gone. My daughter was inside.”
The distress in her voice is palpable as she repeats, “My daughter was inside!”
The incident occurred around 4:36 p.m. on July 30. Police reported that the vehicle had been left running with the toddler inside while the mother completed the Instacart delivery.
Atlanta Police Department’s Auto Crimes Enforcement Unit quickly launched a search, utilizing the city’s license plate readers to track the stolen vehicle, the suspect, and the child. Remarkably, they located the car in under 15 minutes.
Body camera footage shows officers surrounding the stolen vehicle, commanding the driver to raise his hands and exit the car. “Hands up!
Hands up!” an officer shouts.
Another directs, “Hands on the window now. What you’re gonna do is get out and face away from me, you understand?
Get out the car slowly. Put your hands behind your back.”
The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Saleem Martin, was taken into custody as the toddler cried nearby. The mother can be heard soothing her daughter, saying, “It’s okay, baby.
It’s okay.” Shortly after, an officer radios in, “The child is okay.
The child’s okay.”
Martin faces multiple charges including kidnapping, theft by taking, simple battery, entering an automobile, cruelty to children, and criminal attempt to commit a felony. Authorities confirmed the child was unharmed and reunited with her parents.
An arrest warrant revealed that the mother later noticed the bottom of her daughter’s dress was unbuttoned. The toddler reportedly told her mother, “The man did it,” referring to Martin. According to the warrant, Martin had both hands on the child’s torso when police found him, attempting to hide between the seats.
The Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit has joined the investigation. Martin allegedly told investigators he touched the child to calm her down and claimed he did not realize she was in the car until after he drove away. He also admitted to discarding an iPad found in the vehicle, fearing it could be used to track him.
The police continue to investigate the full circumstances surrounding the incident. The quick response and use of technology were key in ensuring the safe recovery of the toddler.