Police were deployed in force throughout the northern town of Afula Sunday afternoon after an eyewitness reported seeing a man put a child in the trunk of a silver hatchback and drive away.
Officers were dispatched in and around the city, fearing a kidnapping had taken place, and set up roadblocks as they searched for the suspect vehicle.
But when law-enforcement finally stopped the culprit some 30 kilometers (19 miles) away, officers were surprised to find that the child had been placed in the trunk by his family as they drove to a holiday outing.
The family from central Israel told police they had taken a family trip, but could not fit their whole family in the car, and so placed the kid in a makeshift seat in the trunk.
The father was detained by police for questioning, and will face charges over the incident.
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“We again emphasize the danger of transporting more passengers than legally allowed, and of not wearing life-saving seat belts,” police said in a statement following the incident.
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