ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department wants to remind parents to never leave their child inside a running car after what one mother went through.
On Dec. 16, 2025, an officer found an abandoned car with a young girl in the backseat.
“She looks about eight years old,” the officer said in his body camera video.
“Are you OK? You just woke up? OK,” the officer asked the girl. “Where’s mom?”
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Police found the child’s mother outside a store where the car was stolen.
She told officers that she went inside to pick up a couple of items and came back to find her car and daughter gone.
“Literally one minute. It’s like a store with glass windows where you could see outside. I went in for one minute, got what I needed, walked out and my car was gone. I didn’t know where to look, so I called the police,” the mother told officers.
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Sgt. Tasheena Brown, a spokeswoman for APD, said leaving your car running even for a moment can quickly make it a target for thieves.
“I’m a police officer, but more importantly, I’m a mother. I understand how busy life gets, how quick errands can feel and how easy is it to think ‘I’ll only be gone for a minute.’ But those moments matter,” Brown said.
Atlanta police said turn off your car, take your keys and take your child with you if you have to stop even for a moment.
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