Police seek suspect after Bridgeton car stolen with two children inside

A quick stop at the Wawa on East Broad Street turned into a dangerous nighttime theft when a car was taken with two young children still inside, sending Bridgeton police to 101 E. Broad St. just after 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Investigators said the driver went into the store and left the vehicle running and unlocked while the children, ages 1 and 7, stayed inside. By the time she came back out, the car was gone. Police said the driver fled before officers arrived.

The vehicle was recovered shortly afterward, and both children were found safe and unharmed. The Bridgetsion Police Department has not publicly identified the suspect and is asking anyone who saw the theft, the vehicle or the person who took it to come forward. One contact number provided for tips is 856-451-0033.

The case is drawing attention because it happened at a familiar convenience-store stop in Bridgeton, the kind of place where parents often make split-second decisions about whether to dash inside for a coffee, a snack or a quick purchase. Here, that routine became a police matter with children at the center of it.

The episode also lands as a blunt safety warning. The New Jersey Department of Children and Families says never to leave children unattended in a car and urges people who see a child alone in a vehicle to call 911 immediately. State materials also warn that a vehicle can heat up rapidly and note that heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children under 14.

For local families, the lesson is immediate: do not leave a vehicle running and unlocked, even for a brief errand, and never leave children behind while stepping into a store. In busy parking lots, that short window can invite theft and put children in direct danger.

The Bridgeton theft also fits a similar pattern seen elsewhere in South Jersey, including a Glassboro case earlier this year in which police said an unlocked, running car was stolen from a Wawa parking lot. In a region where convenience-store lots are part of the daily rhythm, police say vigilance matters as much as speed when children are involved.