Good Samaritan saves baby left in Galveston parking lot by car thief

An infant was rescued by a good Samaritan on Monday, Dec. 4 after she was taken in a stolen vehicle and then left in a Galveston church parking lot by the car thief. Stephen Ward, who found the baby, snapped this photo of her after calling police. less An infant was rescued by a good Samaritan on Monday, Dec. 4 after she was taken in a stolen vehicle and then left in a Galveston church parking lot by the car thief. Stephen Ward, who found the baby, snapped ... more Photo: Stephen Ward/Facebook Photo: Stephen Ward/Facebook Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Good Samaritan saves baby left in Galveston parking lot by car thief 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A Galveston baby that was taken in a stolen vehicle on Monday night was returned to her parents after a good Samaritan spotted the baby's car seat sitting alone in the middle of a parking lot.

Galveston Police Capt. Joshua Schirard said Wednesday the baby's parents left her in their vehicle while they unloaded clothing and brought it into a laundromat in the 3000 block of Broadway Street.

At about 7:20 p.m., while the parents were inside the laundromat, the vehicle was stolen with the baby still inside, Schirard said.

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Police responded to the scene and flooded the areas nearby, looking for the vehicle. Information on the make and model of the car was not immediately available.

During the search, police received another call from Stephen Ward, who had just left work and had gotten dinner at Church's Chicken on Broadway Street when he saw a car seat in the parking lot of the church next door.

Police arrived at the Temple Emanuel Christian Church in the 4800 block of Broadway to collect the baby, who was unharmed, and return her to her parents.

Ward snapped a photo of the child and posted it on Facebook to share his shock at the situation.

"I couldn't believe it when I found a baby in a parking lot in the middle of the night like that," he said Wednesday.

Police are still searching for information on the suspect or suspects who stole the car.

Dana Guthrie is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of her stories here and follow her on Twitter at @danapguthrie.