Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Baby Found in Car, Amber Alert Canceled
Police have recovered Baby Graciela in the vehicle near Capitol Expressway, several blocks from where the car was was stolen after it had been left running in a San Jose driveway Monday morning.
Update: Tuesday, March 26: San Jose Police released a sketch of the suspect.
Update: 11:50 a.m. Monday, March 25: The California Highway Patrol is reporting that the infant girl who was inside a white Jeep Liberty stolen from San Jose this morning has been found.
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The vehicle was located on Capitol Expressway in San Jose. CHP officials said they don't know yet if suspect has been taken into custody.
The Amber Alert has been canceled.
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San Jose Police located the missing 11-month-old San Jose infant Gabriela Quintero and the 2006 Jeep Liberty that was taken.
At approximately 11:17 AM, the Police Department's 911 communications center received a report from a citizen that they spotted the suspect vehicle in the driveway of a carport area in the 400 block of Amargosa Court in San Jose.
Officers arrived on scene at 11:22 AM and immediately located the Jeep with the infant still seated in the backseat. The officer assessed the infant and she did not appear injured.
The infant has been transported to a local hospital as a precaution. A uniformed officer rode in the ambulance with the infant.
Robbery detectives are with the mother and en route to reunite her with her daughter. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident remains ongoing. No information is being released regarding which hospital the infant was taken to. Additional details will be released as they become available.
Patch will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
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Amber Alert: 11-Month-Old Baby Aboard Stolen Car
By Bay City News
An Amber Alert has been issued for an infant girl who was inside a white Jeep Liberty that was stolen from San Jose this morning, police said.
Description: 2006 White Jeep Liberty, Calif. License plate: 6BWK440
The CHP issued a photo of the baby, identified as Gabriela Quintero, shown above. She was dressed in a green "onesie" with gray sheep on it at the time of the car theft
The car was taken at about 6:40 a.m. in the 2300 block of Amador Court, off of Story Road, a few blocks from Interstate Highway 680.
The mother, Graciela Quintero, had placed her 11-month-old daughter Gabriela in a car seat in the backseat of the Jeep but had not yet strapped her in, San Jose police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.
Quintero was bringing items from her house to her car and stepped away from the Jeep momentarily, leaving the key in the ignition with the engine off, Dwyer said. When she came back outside she saw the Jeep driving away. Her daughter, whose first birthday is in four days, was gone, police said. She called police, who arrived within three minutes, Dwyer said.
The suspect is believed to be a woman described as white or Hispanic and in her 30s, wearing a dark top and dark pants and carrying a red-and-white Target bag. Quintero, who is a single mother, did not recognize the suspect but saw her standing nearby before the car was stolen, Dwyer said.
"The mother is understandably shaken," Dwyer said. "It's very difficult to interview someone in that condition."
It is unclear whether the car thief knew there was a baby in the Jeep, but Dwyer said police are treating the case as a stranger abduction. "We've been treating this as if a little girl's life is held in the balance," he said.
About 40 San Jose police officers are looking for the Jeep and the girl, and law enforcement agencies throughout the Bay Area are on alert. The California Highway Patrol is involved, and an aerial search is being conducted.
Police are contacting neighbors to see if any of them have surveillance cameras that may have captured images of the suspect. Gabriela was wearing a green "onesie" with gray sheep on it at the time of the theft, police said.
Her car seat is purple. The Jeep Liberty is described as white with a spare tire attached to the rear, and a sticker showing two babies kissing each other. The license plate number is 6BWK440.
Anyone who sees the vehicle is asked to call 911.
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An Amber Alert has been issued for an 11-month-old girl who was inside a Jeep that was stolen from San Jose Monday morning at 6:43 a.m., a police spokesman said.
The CHP issued a photo of the baby, identified as Gabriela Quintero, shown above.
The baby was inside a white 2006 Jeep Liberty that was taken from a spot near Amador Court and Amador Drive near Story Road and I-680, San Jose police Officer Albert Morales said.
Morales said the mother got out of the vehicle momentarily and the suspect jumped in and drove off.
The suspect, who is not known to the mother, is described as a Hispanic female in her 30s with a light complexion who was carrying a red-and-white Target bag, he said. It appears she was alone.
The white 2006 Jeep Liberty car's license plate number is 6BWK440. It has a spare tire on the back and two stickers on it related to babies, he said.
Anyone who sees the vehicle is asked to call 911.
Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited
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