A 43-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after police say he stole a vehicle with a 1-year-old child still inside.
According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the child’s mother was making a food delivery on 21st Avenue South near Scarritt Place when she left her vehicle running with the child in the backseat.
Police said officers quickly responded and located the stolen vehicle nearby with the infant still inside and unharmed. The suspect had already fled the area before officers arrived.
Investigators later identified and found Joshua Melton on Lyle Avenue wearing the same clothing seen on surveillance footage from the incident.
Melton told police he did not know a child was inside the vehicle when he stole it.
He was arrested and charged with vehicle theft and child neglect and remains jailed on a $36,000 bond.
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