Stolen car with baby inside in Waitara: Mum and bub get good result

The mother whose car was stolen with her baby inside and then got stung with a $200 bill to get her vehicle back, has got a good result since the Herald’s coverage - she has her money back.

The incident happened last Friday in Waitara, Taranaki. The thief was also caught on camera taking the 5-month-old infant from the backseat and dumping him on the roadside.

The woman has confirmed the salvalge yard where her car was empounded have now transferred $200 into her bank account in order to pay the bill she was sent by police.

The mother has yet to speak publicly about her ordeal, but her father earlier recounted how she and a member of the public chased after the thief when she found her car and baby were gone.

Her story elicited a strong response from the public, too, with dozens of individuals and businesses offering to cover the cost to get her car back. One offered her a new pram to replace the two in her stolen car.

“This bloody sucks. This woman has been through enough. Where is the empathy? I’m more than happy to cover the fee for her. I can’t believe this,” one generous person said.

Her father, Shane Young, complained about the police response, saying he believed they had “done nothing” to support his daughter, and revealing she had received this bill.

“It f***ing stinks! This girl has got nothing. The police have done nothing,” he said.

“How do you think she’s feeling after this? She’s got no car, she only just got her phone back this morning. Her car’s been absolutely trashed ...”

He said the car was missing a pram and two baby seats. A wallet was also gone.

A still taken from a video showing a person taking a baby from the back seat of a stolen car and leaving the child on the grass verge in Waitara.

A police spokeswoman responded to Young’s concerns about the fee for his daughter’s car, saying this was “required of everyone [when] a vehicle has had to be forensically towed”.

But the Herald understands the money was deposited back into her bank account following the paper’s report on the shock cost this morning.

The police spokeswoman earlier explained how the cost was incurred: “The vehicle was initially towed and stored at a vehicle storage facility for forensic examination.

“Police paid for this, as is usual where forensic tow is required. Once the examination was complete, the victim was advised that her vehicle was ready to be collected.

“The vehicle was not drivable, and costs associated with towing and repair are the owner’s responsibility. While we can appreciate that paying to retrieve her vehicle in this instance could be distressing, this is something required of everyone in instances where a vehicle has had to be forensically towed.”

These fees can be covered by a car owner’s insurance, however, the Herald understands the woman has none.

A 27-year-old New Plymouth woman appeared in court yesterday with a charge of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle. She did not enter a plea and was remanded on bail until her next appearance. Police are still seeking a second person in relation to the incident.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.