ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO — A missing 3-year-old girl was found safe and well in a freezing New Mexico parking lot after the car she was sitting in was stolen.
The rescue of Caraline Leon-Alcocar was captured on the lapel camera of Albuquerque police officer Chris Poccia.
Caraline was abducted at around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night when her mother pulled up at a Smith's Food and Drug store, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
Her mother left the engine of the car running and the key in the ignition as she filled up water jugs outside the store.
Seeing an opportunity, a man jumped into the car and drove off, with Caraline still buckled up inside.
A citywide manhunt was launched, and police quickly found the car abandoned in a parking lot about three miles away — but Caraline was not inside.
At 1 a.m. the frightened child was eventually found sitting out in the cold as temperatures dropped below zero.
Somehow she'd ended up a mile and a half away from where the abandoned car was discovered.
Police are searching for a Hispanic man, aged 25-30, in connection with the crime, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The suspect has short brown hair and was wearing a dark-colored jacket and blue jeans, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
The man is 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs between 190 and 200 pounds.
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