With his two young sons with him, a man rigged a car in a Lakeville home’s garage for a murder-suicide before fleeing until police soon caught up with him and the boys early Thursday, authorities said.

The suspected abduction prompted law enforcement to issue an Amber Alert a couple of hours later at about 4:20 a.m., seeking the public’s help in finding the 27-year-old father and the 2- and 4-year-old boys.

Once the car and its three occupants were located in Burnsville, the alert was canceled by 5:15 a.m.

“The subject of the call had made suicidal statements to family members in recent days,” a Lakeville police statement read.

According to Lakeville police, officers were called to the home about 2:15 a.m. about an interrupted suicide attempt. A family member saw the father in the car with the engine running, the garage door closed and a hose routed from the tailpipe to the vehicle’s interior, police said.

By the time police arrived, the man had driven away with the boys.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued the Amber Alert. A short time later, Burnsville officers stopped the car and arrested the father. The children were unharmed.

Lakeville police said potential charges against the man include attempted homicide.