A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a vehicle with a one-year-old child in it in Gisborne on Wednesday.
Police allege the car was unlawfully taken from Gladstone Road in Gisborne with the child sitting in a car seat.
The man is said to have stolen the car and driven off around 3pm before leaving the one-year-old in their car seat on the side of MacDonald St.
A police spokesperson said the baby was uninjured and was found soon by a member of the public who quickly alerted police.
The vehicle continued on and picked up a passenger before being seen by police who followed it to a residential property, the spokesperson said.
A 22-year-old man was then arrested and has been charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, operating a vehicle recklessly, driving with a suspended licence and abandoning a child.
He has been remanded in custody and is set to reappear in the Gisborne District Court on January 26.
"As the matter is before the courts, police are unable to provide any further detail," the spokesperson said.
