A carjacked toddler was found at a bank in Miami after a suspected armed bank robber took him for a ride in a stolen vehicle, according to Hialeah Police spokesman Det. Eddie Rodriguez.
“The child’s in good condition, he’s doing well, parents are happy as you can imagine,” Rodriguez told HuffPost.
Daniel Rivero, 3, was sitting in his family’s SUV waiting for his father to get him ice cream -- a reward for good behavior -- when a stranger jumped inside the vehicle and took off.
The FBI says that stranger was Pedro Luis Valdes, 48, who is wanted in the robbery of Regions Bank at 8373 W. Flagler St. last Friday. Investigators say Valdes robbed the Bank of America at 7760 W. Flagler St. around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, just minutes before stealing the Rivero's SUV on Northwest 37th Avenue in Hialeah.
The Hialeah Police Department dispatched 40 officers to search for the boy and helicopter pilots patrolled the area from the sky, he said. About a half hour later, the boy was found at a TD Bank branch in Miami, according to WSVN.
Details on how Valdes apparently dropped the boy off are not yet available. However, the FBI says Valdes remains at large, last seen driving the family's silver and black, two-toned 2001 Mitsubishi Montero, license plate T306JD. See photos below.
The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Valdes, who is considered armed and dangerous.
UPDATE, Friday: According to an FBI release, Valdes was arrested without incident in Miami on Thursday at 9:45 p.m. He is expected to appear in federal court in Miami and face federal charges for his crimes.