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Man steals car with 5-year-old still inside near Budapest: child abandoned kilometres away – video
In a shocking car theft in Sülysáp, Pest County, a 20-year-old man drove off in a vehicle with a five-year-old boy still sitting in the back seat, police have confirmed.
The incident happened on Wednesday morning outside a local nursery. The children’s father had stopped as part of his usual routine, leaving the engine running while he took his younger child inside the building. The older child remained strapped into the back seat, according to the Hungarian News Agency (MTI).
According to police, the suspect, identified as K. Milán, happened to walk past, noticed the unattended car with the engine running, jumped in and drove off without hesitation.
By the time the father returned, both the vehicle and his son had disappeared. He immediately called emergency services.
Child left alone outside shop
The man drove around six kilometres before abandoning the boy outside a shop in the nearby village of Úri. A shop employee found the child and alerted the authorities after the boy said their car had been stolen.
Police officers quickly collected the child and safely returned him to his family. Thankfully, he was unharmed.
Tracked by cameras and vehicle signal
Using the car’s tracking signal and local CCTV footage, officers traced the vehicle’s route and coordinated with neighbouring police departments. The suspect was eventually arrested about 50 kilometres away in Újszász, along with the stolen car.
Not his first offence
The case revealed the suspect is no stranger to vehicle theft. Telex reports that this was already his sixth car theft, in addition to stealing an electric scooter previously. He had also been banned from driving for ten months for earlier offences: a ban that was still in force at the time of Wednesday’s incident.
Police say he was caught stealing another car as recently as January, while several other thefts took place last summer.
The man reportedly told officers he had “bought” the car for HUF 50,000 (EUR 132) at a railway station.
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Facing multiple charges and possible pre-trial detention
Criminal proceedings have been launched against him for unlawful vehicle taking, misuse of identifying vehicle markings and multiple counts of qualified theft. The Nagykáta District Prosecutor’s Office has requested his arrest, arguing there is a real risk he would commit further crimes if released.
Authorities have merged seven theft cases into one procedure, meaning he could face significant penalties if convicted.
Watch the police’s video below: