A mother is heard screaming in disbelief just moments after her son was taken by a car thief in Oakland Park in a new 911 call from the incident.
The incident happened when the woman arrived to pick up food at an IHOP at 3101 W. Oakland Park Boulevard just after 8 a.m. Saturday and left her 3-year-old son in her car, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Moments later, the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Phillip J. Pepe, Jr., was seen in surveillance footage jumping into the car and driving away.
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In a 911 call released Thursday, an IHOP employee tells the dispatcher about the situation as the mother is heard screaming "Oh my God! Oh my God!" in the background.
The frantic mother then gets on the call.
"He has my son in the car!" the mother says. "Oh my God, my poor baby is in the car with this stranger!"
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"Oh my God, I just left for one second," she says later in the call.
Deputies arrived a short time later, and quickly found the vehicle abandoned with the child at a gas station at 1901 Northwest 40th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
Authorities are still searching for Pepe, who fled the scene. He faces charges including kidnapping, child imprisonment and grand theft auto.
