A man hugs a young girl near a black SUV as multiple first responders and officers stand nearby. The emotional moment follows what appears to be a rescue or emergency response, with personnel from Vallejo Fire visible in the scene.
The girl and her father hug moments after being reunited. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

Vallejo police rescued a toddler hours after she was kidnapped during an alleged carjacking Friday afternoon in Vallejo.

Officers responded to a report of a carjacking near Santa Clara and Maine Streets at around 3:38 p.m., according to dispatch audio. The vehicle’s owner sustained minor injuries in the robbery. The suspect, who has not been apprehended, took off in the blue Honda Pilot with the owner’s young child still inside.

A friend of the victim pursued the stolen vehicle and alerted the police, records show.

Almost 40 minutes later, a witness called in to report that a blue vehicle with front-end damage had hit a light pole, then a man, near 400 Santa Clara Street, according to public records. The man reportedly left the scene. Around 15 minutes later, department watch commander Lt. Steve Darden radioed to report that the vehicle was heavily damaged and likely did not get far.

A man in a light-colored t-shirt and baseball cap walks urgently on a sidewalk beside a residential street, looking intently toward the right side of the frame. Two other people follow closely behind, suggesting an active or unfolding situation.
Vallejo Police Det. Jordan Patzer rushes to the young victim, her father steps behind. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

That proved true: shortly before 5 p.m. an officer broadcast over the radio that he believed he had found the vehicle near Kissell Alley and Sacramento Street. 

Moments later, multiple units converged on the vehicle, unoccupied but for the young victim, who appeared to be unharmed. Detectives Jaleesa Bradshaw and Jordon Patzer soon arrived, the girl’s father steps behind them.

Paramedics wheel a loaded gurney past a Solano EMS Cooperative ambulance parked on a residential street. One paramedic gestures assertively while leading the team, and a police officer walks ahead to direct the scene.
Medical personnel took the girl and her father away in an ambulance as a precaution. The girl appeared to be unharmed. Her father’s arm sported a white bandage from an injury sustained in the carjacking. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

At the time of the alleged carjacking, Vallejo police were thin on officers because several units were in Oakland after getting into a pursuit from north Vallejo that reached speeds of 110 mph, according to scanner audio. Officers lost the suspect vehicle after it pulled into a parking structure near Oakland’s Jack London Square. Some, although not all, made it back in time to participate in the rescue.

First responders, including Vallejo firefighters and paramedics, gather around a stretcher where a child sits on an adult's lap. The scene appears calm and supportive, with several people—including a woman holding a drink—looking on with concern or care.
First responders show visual relief while the young victim looks on, apparently unsure of what to make of all the activity. (Geoffrey King / Open Vallejo)

Shortly after 4:50 p.m., officers delivered the girl to her father and a team of paramedics, who waited on the street for their arrival. The girl’s father took his child in his arms as he openly wept with relief. His child appeared unharmed and calm, if slightly stunned, as she took in the scene.

Sarah Hopkins is an investigative reporter with Open Vallejo.

Geoffrey King is the executive editor of Open Vallejo. Prior to founding Open Vallejo, Geoffrey worked as an attorney and journalist focused on free expression, open government, press freedom and privacy. He is a proud native of Vallejo, California.