The baby was found locked inside a safe, similar to the one pictured, in a Howard Johnson Hotel in Canada Tuesday, police said. View Full Caption Shutterstock

BROOKLYN — The baby of a Brooklyn couple was found locked in a safe at a Niagara Falls hotel on Tuesday morning, Niagara Regional Police said.

The infant’s parents notified staff at the Howard Johnson Hotel, on the Canadian side of the border, that their child was trapped inside the safe about 10 a.m., the police department said.

Hotel maintenance found the baby “alert and crying” and removed it from the safe. The family then took off with the infant in a gray Ford van with New Jersey license plates before police could be called, according to the department.

The room they were staying in was registered to a person from Brooklyn.

“They left rather quickly,” Niagara Regional Police Staff Sergeant Dave Brennan said.

A language barrier prevented hotel staff from getting additional details from the family, Brennan said. It is unclear what language the couple spoke.

Niagara police are hoping to locate the family and check on the status of the baby, the department said.

The Howard Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It wasn't immediately clear how the baby got in the safe.

News of the police department's search was first reported by NBCNews.com.