Photo: Martin Huerta
SAN JOSE – A man briefly left his idling car with a child inside at a convenience store. Then a suspect took off in the car. On October 20, 2018, the SJPD arrested a wanted suspect in the unintentional kidnapping of a small 5-year-old child.
The suspect, Martin Huerta, stole the idling vehicle at a local convenience store in the area of Leeward Way and Story Road. According to Sergeant Enrique Garcia, “The suspect stole the vehicle with the child inside.”
The panicked father called 9-1-1, alerting officers to the area. They located the suspect with the stolen vehicle on the 2400 block of Barlow Ave.
SJPD patrol officers took pursuit and watched as Huerta jumped from the car. SJPD officers then pursued the suspect on foot and were able to detain him without further incident.
However, the young girl was not in the vehicle. She had in fact been dropped off on the sidewalk along the 1400 block of Chabot Way. It was just four minutes from where they arrested the suspect. Garcia said, “The child was uninjured and returned to the father.”
Subsequently, 30-year-old Martin Huerta was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for kidnapping, auto theft and delaying obstructing an investigation.
