QUINCY - A 9-month-old boy was left in the back seat of an Uber driver’s car in Quincy on Sunday night, when both parents got out of the car to go into a store and the driver continued on to the destination, police said.

Quincy police received a call from the frantic parents of the baby about 9 p.m. They said the Uber driver left with the child in the back seat.



The driver was found about 20 minutes later on Main Street in South Weymouth, Quincy police Sgt. Jennifer Tapper said. The baby was safe in his car seat and had been asleep the entire time.



The driver told police he thought the mother was still in the back seat of the car and was continuing to their planned destination in Whitman, Tapper said.



The incident was a misunderstanding because of a language barrier between the parents and the driver, Tapper said.



They were picked up at their home on Willard Street and asked the driver to stop at a convenience store so they could get some beverages.



The father got out of the front passenger’s seat, and the mother, who sat directly behind the driver, also got out to go into the store.



The driver told police he thought the father was being dropped off at the store and the mother and child were continuing on to Whitman.



“He had no idea that the mom was not behind him,” Tapper said.



When the parents came out of the store, they saw the driver was gone.



They were able to use the Uber phone app to follow the route the driver was taking. Weymouth police were notified and found the car a short time later. Quincy police gave the parents a ride to reunite the family.



A so-called 51A report was filed by police with the Department of Children and Families. No criminal charges were filed.



“As mandated reporters, any instance where the child was separated from the parents for that amount time is something that would be reported to DCF,” Tapper said.



