by Tiffany Razzano
At around 5:30 p.m., the children - a 1-year-old, a 4-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy - were waiting in the 2005 Nissan Pathfinder while their father, the owner of the vehicle, walked towards Lakeview Deli and Grocery, located at 478 Lakeview Avenue. The thief, a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, jumped inside the vehicle, driving westbound on Lakeview Avenue with the children still in the car, said Lt. John Azzata of the 5th Squad of the Nassau County Police Department.
Once the thief realized there were children in the car, he dropped them off on Ocean Avenue, just north of Malverne High School. He then continued driving northbound on Ocean Avenue. Police have not yet recovered the vehicle, which has a magnetic soccer ball on its bumper, nor have they apprehended the suspect. The children, who were unharmed, were found walking to a relative's home near where the thief had left them.
A deli employee who was working the day of the theft said the youngest child was too little to come into the store, so his father decided to let them wait in the SUV. The worker also said that he's glad the children were returned to their father.
Police were hoping to get more details of the crime and a better description of the suspect from the 13-year-old, Azzata said.
Azzata said this should be a lesson for all parents. "You never leave your children in the car unattended at any time," he said. "Never leave your car or keys in the ignition. Never leave your car running."
Rockville Centre Police Department Police Commissioner Jack McKeon echoed these sentiments. "Leaving your keys in your car or leaving your car running is an invitation to a criminal," he said. "Children should never be left unattended in a vehicle."
