Our baby's back, that's all that matters

Ten-month-old Jerome Sauni is reunited with his relieved parents, Mike and Andrea, after his adventure. Picture / Herald On Sunday

For Mike Sauni it was the worst 45 minutes of his life.

After stopping for petrol at the service station near his home, the Manurewa man walked outside to find his unlocked car gone. Inside, asleep in the back seat, had been his 10-month-old son, Jerome.

"I couldn't believe it. I was absolutely beside myself. My first thought was the baby, I wasn't worried about the car," Mr Sauni said yesterday.

"A lot of things went through my head. They might bring him back, they might kill him. Worst-case scenario was I might not see my son again."

He jumped in another customer's car and they drove in the direction his car had gone but failed to find it. Soon the police helicopter was in the air and Mr Sauni faced the awfultask of telling his wife, Andrea.

"It was the worst moment of my life. I was hysterical and collapsed on the ground," said Mrs Sauni, who was at home and had spotted the police helicopter, little knowing it was hunting for her baby.

But the anguish did not last long - 10 minutes after she was told her son was missing, the family received a call to say he had been given to two young boys who had dropped him back at the petrol station.

The Saunis were reunited with Jerome soon after at the BP station.

Last night a relieved Mr Sauni held on tightly to a smiling Jerome, who appeared completely unaffected.

"He was asleep in the back seat. I don't think they realised they had an extra passenger when they took the car," said Mr Sauni. "I'm thankful they had a little bit of humanity. I couldn't [care] about the car. I'm just ecstatic about finding the baby."

Stepbrothers Kohitu Tokona, 10, and Reece Felton, 9, were walking through a nearby park when two teenage boys ran towards them with a baby.

"They put the baby on the ground and yelled at us to take it to the BP," said Kohitu. "They said the baby was their nephew and that they would give us money to take it to the BP. We didn't know why they were giving us the baby."

The boys carried Jerome across the park and asked for help from a passing adult to get across the road.

"The baby was heavy. It just kept hugging us and holding on to our fingers," said Reece.

The boys said it felt "pretty cool" to give Jerome back to his parents and they weren't worried they didn't get the promised $20.

"We only cared about the baby," said Kohitu.

The Saunis were full of praise for the boys, but Mr Sauni wants other parents to be aware of the dangers of leaving children in an unlocked car with the keys in.

"Parents or anyone, never assume, always take your keys."

* Last night police were still searching for the silver Honda Accord, registration UB46.