Stolen car with baby inside: Mother’s $200 bill to get vehicle back

The 23-year-old mother of a baby taken when her car was stolen has received a further shock – a $200 bill to get her car back.

The woman had parked her car and gone inside a dairy on the corner of Queen and Cameron streets in Waitara, Taranaki, when it was taken last Friday.

She chased after the offender in a member of the public’s car, trying to block the thief from getting away. The suspect drove on the footpath as they left, then abandoned the baby on the roadside nearby.

The mother spotted her 5-month-old baby left on a grass berm. When she had her baby back in her arms she was so overwhelmed by the situation she fainted, her father, Shane Young, said.

Young called the Herald on Tuesday evening, clearly distraught about his daughter’s horrific ordeal. He detailed how the incident unfolded.

Young also complained about the police response, saying he believed police had “done nothing” to support his daughter, and she had now received a bill to retrieve her damaged car.

“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 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”.

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.

She 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 today 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. A second offender has yet to be caught.

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