Man stole car with 12-year-old in back seat, then bailed out while it was still moving, prosecutors say

Man Arrested for Stealing Car with Child Inside in River West

A 27-year-old man, Jordan Miller, is facing charges after allegedly stealing a car with a 12-year-old boy still inside in River West on Friday night. The incident occurred around 9:20 p.m. in the 800 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.

According to prosecutors, a 34-year-old man had briefly exited his 2014 Hyundai Elantra, leaving his son in the back seat. Miller then reportedly got into the driver’s seat and drove off with the boy still in the car.

The young boy recounted that he asked Miller about his father’s whereabouts, to which Miller responded by pushing him back into his seat and discarding his phone out of the vehicle.

Miller abandoned the moving car without putting it in park, causing it to continue rolling until it crashed in the 900 block of West Fry Street. Police located Miller in the 1000 block of West Chicago Avenue based on witness descriptions and the child’s account. Surveillance footage also linked him to the incident.

The 12-year-old was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital for treatment of head, back, and eye pain, while Miller was treated for lacerations to his left hand at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

At a detention hearing, Judge Anthony Calabrese ordered Miller to be held pending trial.