Two toddlers are safe after the SUV they were in was stolen Monday afternoon in Frisco.
Police said a father left his 2-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter inside a running vehicle to momentarily check on a home he was rehabilitating in the 8000 block of 7th Street.
“As you know [Monday] was very cold. It was about 30 degrees," Frisco Police Officer Benny Valdez said. "[He] decided because of the weather and the short period of time he was going to be at the residence, he was going to leave the children in the car, go around the back, flip a switch and get back in the car."
In that time, police said 23-year-old Tony Ortega Jr. and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Maricella Segoviano, walked by. Ortega jumped into the running vehicle and fled, according to police.
“The victim chased the car down the street as far as he could,” Valdez said. “Witnesses around the area also saw the suspect get into the vehicle and drive off in the vehicle.”
Ortega circled the block and then quickly ditched the vehicle not far from where it was taken, according to police.
“It was less than a minute before someone jumped in that vehicle and took off in it,” Valdez said. “Crime can happen quickly, so we hope that residents of Frisco and other cities learn they shouldn’t leave their vehicle running especially with kids in the car for any amount of time.”
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Police found Ortega and Segoviano in a home in the 7000 block of Ash Street, less than a block away.
Ortega was charged with theft between $20,000-$100,000 and two counts of child endangerment, and Segoviano was charged with theft after police said she was in possession of the victim’s wallet and ID from inside the stolen SUV.
Police are asking residents who live in the area to check the surveillance cameras. They’re hoping the vehicle theft was caught on tape. Anyone with information should contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 972-292-6200.
