Teen accused of stealing car with baby inside arrested

Thief abandons car, 1-year-old girl in parking lot of Fort Lauderdale church

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A teenager accused of stealing a car with a baby inside in Fort Lauderdale has been arrested.

Fort Lauderdale police said Terrance Thorpe Jr., 16, was arrested Wednesday night, hours after he drove away in a Toyota Avalon near Northwest 24th Street and Northwest 26th Avenue.

A 1-year-old girl was in the car at the time.

Thorpe appeared in juvenile court Thursday afternoon, where a judge ordered that he be held for at least 21 days until his next hearing. His parents were not in the courtroom.

Thorpe's public defender told the judge that the teen was unaware that the baby was in the car at the time.

"It is something that is very disconcerting, and he is very upset over it," the attorney said.

The baby's father, Jonathan Rabb, told Local 10 News that he left the car engine on Wednesday as he went inside a friend's home for a brief visit. When he came back outside, the car was gone.

Jonathan Rabb was happy to be reunited with his 1-year-old daughter after someone stole his car while she was asleep inside.

"All I wanted was my daughter back," Rabb said. "That's it. That's all I could think about was getting her back in my arms safe."

The car was found a short time later in the parking lot of New Covenant Deliverance Cathedral on Northwest 20th Street. The girl wasn't hurt, but the thief was nowhere to be found.

Police said someone recognized Thorpe from a surveillance image shown on the news.

Thorpe faces charges of grand theft auto and desertion of a child. 

He was out on probation at the time of his arrest for five prior cases that resulted in misdemeanor charges.


About the Authors:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.