Van Thief Drives Off With 4 Sleeping Kids

CHICAGO, IL — Four sleeping children unwittingly found themselves in the hands of a car thief early Sunday morning on Chicago's South Side after parents who stopped at a gas station left their minivan's keys in the ignition.

The parents went into a South Chicago gas station and left their vehicle running in the 8900 block of S. South Chicago Ave. at about 12:20 a.m., according to Chicago Police. While inside, someone slipped into their van and drove away. The parents flagged down police and told them their children, ages 3, 4, 6 and 14, were inside the van.

Police quickly found the van parked in the 8900 block of South Saginaw Avenue. The children were safe and still asleep, and the thief was gone, police said.

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