Connecticut

2 Kids Safe After Vehicle Reported Stolen in Hartford

A vehicle that was reported stolen from Hartford with two children inside on Tuesday morning has been found and the children are safe.

Officers received a report the vehicle was stolen from Barbour Street and Capen Street and had two girls ages 8 and 9 inside.

Investigators determined the children, who police said are cousins, got out of the vehicle while it was running and got onto a bus while their mom/aunt was momentarily inside of a daycare facility.

When the woman returned and saw the car and kids gone, she called 911, according to authorities.

Police said it initially was hard to get information from the woman because she was hysterical.

"There was a lot of information we had to follow up on to make sure... you know, the kids' safety is paramount so we have to make sure we have that information correct," said Hartford Police Lt. Paul Cicero.

Authorities used city C4 cameras to track the stolen car, police said. Officers who knew the area well were able to track the suspect and car to Gillett Street, where he went to the back of the building and then hit a cruiser.

Police said they were able to get the man out of the car, wrestled a gun away from him and then took him into custody.

They identified him as 19-year-old Elijah Jorden, of East Hartford.  Jorden faces several charges, including third-degree larceny, possession of a pistol without a permit, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, assault on police, interfering with police, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

The car will be towed and returned to the woman.

It is unclear if the woman will face charges in connection to the incident.

"There has been incidents of people leaving their kids in the car. They can be held accountable for that. Leaving kids in the car, especially at that age, yeah, that's not something that should be done often, let alone unoccupied. But two kids in the car, yeah, there might be some issues with that," Cicero added.

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