Police: Toddler found sound asleep in vehicle after carjacker flees in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man carjacked a vehicle with a sleeping 2-year-old inside, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

The carjacking happened on South Rio Grande Avenue and Holden Avenue, just before noon Friday.

The vehicle was running in the parking lot of the victim's apartment complex when a young man, possibly a teenager, jumped in.

"He walked by the car at first, turned around and hopped in and sped off," said witness Mike Gate.

A moment later, Gate said the car's owner came out of an apartment screaming and that's when he learned the young boy was inside the vehicle.

"I heard him say, 'Oh my God, my kid was in the car,'" Gate. "So I was like, 'Oh, no.'"

Within minutes, deputies blocked off streets and the sheriff's helicopter began searching for the carjacker.

Authorities said the man parked the car at a different complex and took off on foot.  That's where deputies found the child safe in the back of the car, still sleeping.

The child was found unharmed at the Carleton Arms apartment complex in Orange County.

The boy's dad told investigators a slightly different story, saying he was yanked from the car by the man and that the man took off in his car.

Officers said they are searching for the man.

WFTV