Panicked parents of 9-month-old taken away by car thief reported learner driver and chased him

Two parents from Cabra, Dublin, were loading the car to leave when the mother went back inside and a thief hit, stealing the car and their nine-month-old baby on the back

Faussagh Road in Cabra, Dublin where the car thief dropped off the child safely, before escaping (

Image: Google Streetview)

Desperate parents of a nine-month-old baby who was abducted by a car thief, signaled a learner driver to chase him.

The parents had strapped their young baby into the car and the mother came back into the house, leaving the engine running, when the car thief struck.

The thief got behind the wheel and fled, young baby in tow, leaving the parents "frenzied with fear".

A second child, aged seven, had also been put in the car - but was able to jump out before the thief took off from the family home in Cabra, Dublin at around 7pm on Sunday.

Luckily there was a learner driver on the road who saw the crime unfold and the parents jumped into her car and chased her.

The learner driver's lesson took a sudden turn when he found himself chasing the car thief (stock image) (

Picture:

Getty Images/Westend61)

While they initially lost the car, they eventually caught up to the thief - however, the scammer ran a red light and "flew over the speed ramps" leaving them behind.

The parents were devastated for their young baby and feared the worst - but received a call to say the baby had been found safe.

It seems the thief realized he had been involved in an involuntary kidnapping and stopped to drop the baby off at the side of the road.

A family member spoke to Independent.ie about the heartbreaking series of events.

They described how the parents were "frenzied" and even chased after the thief on foot at first.

But then they turned to the learner driver they jumped into to chase him.

The family member said, "But they didn't know which way he went and it took a while to catch up with the car.

"He ran a red light somewhere and they ended up in Phoenix Park where the car accelerated and took off...