Toddler found safe after alleged hijacking of parent's vehicle

A 3-year-old child was found safe on Tuesday in a vehicle reported by his parent as hijacked, according to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.

JMPD officers responded after receiving an alert about a hijacked Toyota Corolla with the caller's 3-year-old son in it, metro police chief David Tembe said on Twitter.

"The vehicle was found abandoned between Ennerdale and Finetown in the south of Joburg with the boy still in the vehicle and no suspects in sight," said Tembe.

ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said its paramedics were dispatched at 9.45am to the Grasmere area after local authorities found an abandoned vehicle on a dirt road.

The toddler was inside the vehicle.

"ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene and assessed the boy, who was in the custody of the SAPS," Meiring said.

The child was uninjured, "although visibly shaken".

"After the assessment, paramedics handed the child over to the father on scene."

Meiring said: "The father stated that they had been hijacked earlier in the Randfontein area. Local authorities will be investigating this matter further."