Man charged after allegedly leaving sleeping baby in box during car theft in Shepparton, Victoria

A car thief who allegedly left a sleeping baby in a box while stealing a car in regional Victoria has been charged.

The 15-month-old baby boy was asleep in the back of a red Volkswagen parked outside the Farm Fresh Supermarket on Maude St in Shepparton when his mother briefly ran into the shop on November 14.

CCTV footage reportedly shows the man removing the baby from the car and placing him in a discarded box in the carpark before driving off with the vehicle just before 2pm.

The mother returned moments later and realised her car was missing, but found her child safe.

She called triple-0 with the help of a local shopkeeper.

The stolen car was located in Mooroopna the following day, November 15.

A 32-year-old Mooroopna man was arrested in central Shepparton about 2pm on Friday.

He has been charged with theft of a motor vehicle, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

The man was also charged over a separate incident in the Shepparton and Barmah areas on 17 November. These charges include theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving while being pursued by police, and aggravated reckless exposure of a police officer to risk by driving.

He has been remanded to appear before Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Detective Acting Sergeant Andrew Costello said the car had been left running with the air conditioner on and its doors unlocked.

She was only in the shops for “a matter of moments”, he said.

Costello said the man’s actions were “thoughtless and inhumane” and that while the baby was safe and well, the incident could have ended “horrifically”.

Costello said it was not safe to leave your child alone in an unlocked car.

The boy’s mother was remorseful for her actions and recognised she made the wrong decision, Costello said.