Car thief turns himself in after finding baby in backseat
Aug 6, 2024, 4:00 PM | Updated: 4:29 pm
suspect turns himself and stolen car in after finding baby in the back seat. Aug 5, 2025 (SLCPD photo)
(SLCPD photo)
SALT LAKE CITY — On Monday a car was stolen with a baby inside.
According to a statement from the Salt Lake City Police Department the mother left her car running in her driveway as she went in to get the rest of her kids.
That’s when the suspect jumped in and drove off with the car.
The investigation started soon after. Local police received a call from the mother saying her car, with her eight-month-old baby inside, had been stolen.
Officers immediately started the search for the car, even using license plate reader technology to find the last location of the car.
Meanwhile, the suspect noticed a sleeping baby in the backseat. So he drove to the Sheriff’s office. He handed the baby to an off-duty officer and admitted to stealing the car.
The off-duty Salt Lake City Police Department officer and another officer from the South Salt Lake Police Department arrested the suspect.
The suspect has been identified as 29-year-old Dimitri Saliba.
The baby is unharmed and has been returned to the mother.
“This is a very unusual situation and we are all grateful for the positive outcome,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown.
“Our officers and detectives started doing everything they could to find this missing child. This case should serve as a reminder of the dedication that police officers and sheriff deputies across Utah have to keeping our communities safe.”
Today, with the help of @SouthSaltLake Police and @SLCO_Sheriff, our officers arrested a 29-year-old man who is accused of stealing a car that had an 8-month-old baby sleeping inside.
Link: https://t.co/Akl0l9Fx9h
#SLC #SLCPD #SaltLakeCity pic.twitter.com/ScVhy24NWc— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) August 5, 2024
Keeping children safe from car theft
This may be an unusual situation, but not an uncommon one. Some cases don’t have a happy ending.
According to Kids and Car Safety , so far this year, 61 children have been left alone in vehicles that got stolen.
Children typically survive and even end up back with their families, but they often end up traumatized.
A similar situation can be avoided by never leaving a child alone in a vehicle.
According to the Kids and Car Safety website, “Thieves watch for vehicles to be left running or unattended with the keys inside. Most of the time, they don’t realize there is a child inside until after they have stolen the vehicle.”
The site suggests to always take car keys with you and lock the doors, even when leaving for a second.
Parents can also use alternatives to leaving your car, like drive thru’s or curb side pick ups.
