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Washington County sheriff's deputies hold two of the eight kittens that were recovered on Friday.

(Washington Co. Sheriff's Office)

Eight kittens are safe after a van carrying the animals was stolen from an Aloha animal shelter Friday and then abandoned in Hillsboro.

The incident started around 1:55 p.m. when employees at Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals reported that a van with eight kittens had been stolen, said Sgt. David Thompson, a Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesman.

Employees were loading the kittens into a 2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor for transport and left the van unattended while fetching more kittens, Thompson said. When the employees returned to the shelter's parking lot, the van was gone.

Deputies were able to ping an employee's phone that was still in the vehicle and track the van to a Lowe's parking lot, 1951 S.E. 24th Ave., in Hillsboro, Thompson said.

The van was found abandoned, and all the kittens were safe, Thompson said.

The Sheriff's Office does not have any suspect information.