KEY POINTS:
A four-year-old boy has been returned to his family after being caught up in a car theft in the Hutt Valley this evening.
The boy had been asleep in the back seat of his father's Subaru when it was taken at about 8pm, apparently by an opportunist thief, from outside a house on Hutt Road.
His dad had popped into the house, leaving his son strapped into his Winnie the Pooh booster seat.
It was not known if the car had been left with the engine on or doors unlocked.
Lower Hutt police sergeant Bruce Mackay told NZPA every available unit and officer was used in the search with up to 40 police cars scouring the area.
At 10.45pm the boy was found unharmed and still in the car in Stanford Grove, Naenae, after a local who had seen media reports spotted the car and called police.
Mr Mackay said he had been told the child was still asleep when police arrived and may have escaped any potential trauma by sleeping through the entire ordeal.
He said the car appeared to have been hastily abandoned on the side of the road.
"Our best guess is that they've realised there was a child in the car and they've got out of there pretty quick."
Lower Hutt CIB Senior Sergeant Ross Levy said the offender had not been spotted and police would be searching for them as well as conducting a forensic examination of the car over the weekend.
"We are still unsure as to whether or not this is an opportunist unlawful taking where the offender(s) have not been aware of the child in the vehicle."
- NZPA
