STORY: A two-month-old baby was left in danger on Thursday (March 19) afternoon after authorities said a man stole a car with the infant still inside, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Security camera footage shows the moment a woman stepped out of her vehicle, which she had briefly left parked in front of an after-school activity centre while she went to pick up her seven-year-old daughter. Seconds later, a man jumped into the car and sped away — with her son still in the back seat.

The mother and staff from the centre immediately chased after the vehicle and alerted police.

Officers located the stolen car approximately 2.7 kilometres from the scene, with the infant still inside. The baby was rescued by the police unharmed and taken to a hospital.

According to the Military Police, when the suspect realized he was being pursued, he abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. Bystanders intervened, restraining the 26-year-old man until officers arrived and arrested him.

Speaking to local media, the mother thanked both the public and the police for their swift response in recovering her child.

Reuters was able to verify the location of the video by the buildings, bricks, windows' shapes, which matched satellite and file imagery to these coordinates -23.455092847198163, -46.75581339669997. The date was verified by the timestamp on the footage and corroborating reports.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Verification:

-Location verified from buildings, bricks, windows' shapes that match file and satellite images

-Coordinates -23.455092847198163, -46.75581339669997

-Date verified by the timestamp on the footage and the military police report

SHOWS: SAO PAULO, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (MARCH 19, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA - No archive / No resale/ Must not obscure logo/ News use only) (MUTE)

1. SECURITY SHOWING WOMAN GETTING OUT OF HER CAR AND WALKING TOWARD CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY CENTRE / MAN APPROACHING CAR AND GETTING IN

2. VIEW FROM A SECOND SECURITY CAMERA SHOWING WOMAN GETTING OUT OF HER CAR AND WALKING TOWARD CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY CENTRE / MAN APPROACHING CAR AND GETTING IN

3. SECURITY CAMERA SHOWING WOMAN AND HER CHILD APPROACHING CAR, AND MAN INSIDE VEHICLE DRIVING AWAY / PEOPLE RUNNING AFTER THE CAR / MAN INSIDE THE VEHICLE DRIVING BACK DOWN THE SAME STREET WHERE THE CAR WAS STOLEN / WOMAN IN A YELLOW T-SHIRT TRYING TO STOP THE CAR / PEOPLE RUNNING AFTER THE CAR