Palestinian steals Arab Israeli’s vehicle with 5-year-old in back seat
Boy later found on side of road near Hashmonaim checkpoint in West Bank; suspect ordered the child out of car after noticing him
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Police received a report Tuesday of a vehicle that was stolen in the central West Bank with a 5-year-old boy still in the back seat.
The suspect began driving toward the Palestinian village of Nil’in when he noticed that the child was still inside. He then ordered the boy to get out of the car, police said.
Authorities found the child at the side of the road near the Hashmonaim checkpoint and said he was unharmed.
The suspect along with the vehicle was still at large and police were on their way to the scene accompanied by IDF troops.
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A police spokeswoman told The Times of Israel that the vehicle belonged to an Arab Israeli and that the suspect was a Palestinian.
Tuesday’s incident is believed to be the third such crime in less than a week in the central West Bank.
Last Thursday, an Israeli woman was driving near the settlement of Talmon, northwest of Ramallah, when she was cut off by a Palestinian vehicle, forcing her to stop abruptly to avoid a collision.
Police said two suspects exited their car and approached the woman’s vehicle. They proceeded to smash the windshield and yank the woman out before taking her car and speeding away, police said.
The victim, from the West Bank settlement of Neria, declined medical attention despite sustaining light injuries.
The Binyamin Regional Council subsequently sent out a WhatsApp message to its residents telling them to be extra alert while driving as Thursday’s incident was the third alleged carjacking in the area in less than a week.
The message encouraged residents to install reinforced glass windows and drive with their doors locked.
