TULLAHOMA, Tenn. (WKRN) – It was an intense search Wednesday afternoon as Tullahoma police tried to track down a suspect who stole a car with a baby inside.

The suspect turned out to be a 15-year-old boy who has now been arrested.

At around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, officers said they were alerted to an incident regarding a vehicle that had been stolen from the parking lot of a Tullahoma UPS store located in the 1800 block of North Jackson Street. 

“I believe the original complaint, it was the mother. She was what got everybody’s attention, but she was obviously yelling for help,” Sgt. Cody Brandon of the Tullahoma Police Department said.

Witnesses outside the UPS store said the mother was screaming, ‘He took my baby!’ referring to her less than 8-month-old child inside that stolen vehicle.

“To our understanding, the mother had pulled up to the UPS store there at 1806 North Jackson Street to just run in and drop a package off and come right back out, but within a split second this subject jumped into the vehicle and took off,” Brandon said.

Witnesses, including the mother, followed the vehicle while relaying to officers where the car was headed and that a female infant was inside the vehicle when it was stolen. 

Security camera provided to News 2 from a neighbor shows the vehicle crashing at Brown Street and North Washington Street. The witnesses then tried to confront the teen, but he ran away.

Officials said the infant was treated for minor injuries and released back to her parents. 

Sgt. Brandon said this could have happened to anyone.

“Obviously, I’m a parent. I know how easy it is to get caught up in that moment. You know, just try to take them inside or at least try to lock the doors. It can happen to any of us, just like that. You don’t lock your car, [leave] your vehicle running, it can happen, especially in the town. We’re a growing population; we’re not small anymore so it could happen to anybody,” Sgt. Brandon said.

Shortly before 2 p.m., police reported the teen had been arrested.

The Tullahoma Police Department hopes this incident serves as a safety reminder to everyone out there.

Anyone with more information about this incident is asked to call the Tullahoma Police Department at 931-455-0530.