Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Amber Alert Canceled

A vehicle in a San Jose driveway had a baby in a car seat wearing a green "onesie" when the car was stolen Monday morning. The key was in the ignition, but the car was not on.

Update as of 11:45 a.m.: 

An infant girl who was inside a Jeep Liberty that was stolen from San Jose this morning has been found safe, police said.

The Jeep was found at the Seven Trees Community Center near East Capitol Expressway, a police officer said. Police have not yet released more details about how the car and child were found.

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An Amber Alert has been issued for an infant girl who was inside a white Jeep Liberty that was stolen from San Jose this morning, police said.

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The car was taken at about 6:40 a.m. in the 2300 block of Amador Court, off of Story Road, a few blocks from Interstate Highway 680.

The mother, Graciella Quintero, had placed her 11-month-old daughter Gabriella in a car seat in the backseat of the Jeep but had not yet strapped her in, San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.

Quintero was bringing items from her house to her car and stepped away from the Jeep momentarily, leaving the key in the ignition with the engine off, Dwyer said. When she came back outside she saw the Jeep driving away.

Her daughter, whose first birthday is in four days, was gone, police said.

She called police, who arrived within three minutes, Dwyer said.

The suspect is believed to be a woman described as white or Hispanic and in her 30s, wearing a dark top and dark pants and carrying a red-and-white Target bag.

Quintero, who is a single mother, did not recognize the suspect but saw her standing nearby before the car was stolen, Dwyer said.

"The mother is understandably shaken," Dwyer said. "It's very difficult to interview someone in that condition."

It is unclear whether the car thief knew there was a baby in the Jeep, but Dwyer said police are treating the case as a stranger abduction.

 "We've been treating this as if a little girl's life is held in the balance," he said.
About 40 San Jose police officers are looking for the Jeep and the girl, and law enforcement agencies throughout the Bay Area are on alert. The California Highway Patrol is involved, and an aerial search is being
conducted.

Police are contacting neighbors to see if any of them have surveillance cameras that may have captured images of the suspect.

Gabriella was wearing a green "onesie" with gray sheep on it at the time of the theft, police said. Her car seat is purple.

The Jeep Liberty is described as white with a spare tire attached to the rear, and a sticker showing two babies kissing each other. The license plate number is 6BWK440.

Anyone who sees the vehicle is asked to call 911.

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