DENVER (KDVR) — Lakewood police said a boy was sleeping in the backseat of a vehicle when it was towed away, leading to a kidnapping call.
According to the department, officers received a call at 9:23 a.m. about a stolen car and a kidnapping near a hotel in the 11900 block of West 6th Avenue Frontage Road.
FOX31’s Vicente Arenas spoke to police and the child’s family and learned that the family was just passing through the area. The family said they were staying at the hotel and an uncle was moving laundry in and out of the car. The 13-year-old was taking a nap in the back of the car, the family said. Arenas asked the uncle what was going through his mind.
“Oh my. What do you think? I think someone had stolen my kid,” the child’s uncle Alex Vasile said.
While parked at the hotel, Lakewood police said the car was repossessed and taken to a tow yard in the 800 block of East 48th Avenue in Denver. However, the person who towed the car was unaware a boy was sleeping in the backseat.
Police said they were called and the incident was initially described as a kidnapping.
Lakewood police said they tracked down the car within 20 minutes because of a tracking system inside.
Arenas spoke to officers who said the boy slept through the whole incident. Officers said they had to bang on the windows of the car to wake up the boy.
“I sleeping in the car. I sleep 10 minutes, and I don’t know! I’m sleeping you know!” said Mario Mustata, the boy who slept in the car.
Lakewood police confirmed the child is now safe.
