BRIGHTON, Colo. — A man faces charges including kidnapping after he stole a car with a one-year-old inside in Commerce City on Saturday because he "didn't want to wait for an RTD bus," court documents said.
Brighton police said 51-year-old Raul Ortega told investigators he saw a brown 2016 Nissan Altima "still puffing" in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven on E. 104th Avenue. He said he told the 10-year-old inside the car to get out, but didn't notice the toddler in the backseat.
The mother of the children told police she left the keys in the ignition and the doors unlocked while she went into the store, an affidavit said. It said she tried to stop Ortega from stealing the car by yelling and grabbing open the door of the Altima, but he sped off.
Her husband tracked the car's location using the Find My iPhone app, which allowed police to locate the car in Brighton near North 7th Avenue and Bridge Street, the affidavit said.
Officers spotted the car in the area of North 8th Avenue and Walnut Street and were able to take the suspect into custody and recover the child.
Ortega said he was taking the car to a cemetery in Brighton to visit his dead wife and son. He said he pulled over off of I-76 eastbound once he noticed the one-year-old in the car and checked to make sure the child was okay.
Ortega faces charges of second-degree kidnapping, aggravated motor vehicle theft, child abuse and robbery, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
He was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in Adams County court on August 9.
The mother told 9NEWS she and her children were "traumatized" by the incident and planned to seek therapy.
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