Mother’s car stolen with baby still inside
A woman who suffered injuries while trying to stop an allegedly stolen car with a baby in the backseat said her “blood ran cold” when she realised what was happening.
Phone Halson said she and her sister were out for a day at the zoo in Yeppoon, Queensland on April 19, 2023, when the incident occurred.
Speaking to Today, Halson said, "As soon as we got out of the car we heard tyres screeching and a woman screaming, so me and my sister ran over. I had my son in my arms,”
"At first we saw the baby's capsule laying on the ground and we were thinking, 'Oh my God, this baby has been hit’."
She said she and her sister then saw a woman screaming, "They took my baby”.
"We are trying to console this mother still in the loading bay where you get your groceries, and the car did, like, a turnaround," she continued.
"It has come flying through the exit-way. Me and another woman were still standing there. We were trying to call out, 'Stop, stop, there is a baby, stop', and she wasn't stopping.”
Halson said she turned to protect her son, who was still in her arms when she was struck by the car.
She revealed she suffered fractured ribs and internal bleeding and went through a two-week recovery period.
The allegedly stolen car then returned, and Halson said the mother was “absolutely hysterical”.
"It was madness. There were people trying to jump in front of the cars. Some succeeded in getting the baby," she said.
"But, yes, some people were just screaming in horror. Other people were crying. There were some chasing after the car. It was absolute madness.”
She said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, although added that when the mum was reunited with her baby, it was “beautiful”.
"You could see the relief on her face as soon as the woman put that baby in her arms," Halson said.
"She just pretty much melted holding that baby.”
Fortunately, the baby was left unharmed as the car drove away.
Authorities said that around 4 pm that same day, they discovered an allegedly stolen grey Nissan Patrol at Bungundarra, north of Rockhampton, and arrested a 24-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man.
The 24-year-old Cobraball woman has been charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, abduction of a child, and driving without a licence.
The 36-year-old Mount Morgan man has been charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
They have both been denied bail and are due to appear in court on April 20.
Image credit: Queensland Police