8-Year-Old Fairfield Boy Found After Being Abducted When Car Stolen From Driveway: PD

An 8-year-old boy was found safe Monday about three hours after his family's car was stolen from their driveway with him inside as he was waiting to be taken to school, authorities said.

Fairfield police released the frantic 911 call from Suzanne Guzman, the mother of Broc Guzman, who called police saying that the family car had been stolen and her son had been in the back seat at that time.

In the recording, a distraught Guzman can be heard giving a description of the car in tears. Police said Monday afternoon that a person of interest has been identified and is in custody on unrelated charges. The investigation is still ongoing.

The Amber Alert for Broc was cancelled just before 8:30 a.m. after police said a neighbor spotted him sleeping inside the back of the stolen car about two miles from his home in the 1000 block of Meadowlark Drive in Fairfield. Police said an "alert citizen" called police after noticing the stolen Toyota in the 400 block of Dahlia Street.

The car thief, wearing a black hat and a black sweatshirt, told Broc that he didn't realize he was asleep in the back seat, his father, Paul Guzman said. And with that, he said, his son went back to sleep.

Police said a bicycle left outside the family home on a sidewalk was taken into evidence, although detectives don't know at this point if it's related to the crime.

An aunt called it a "blessing." Family friend Broc Ordaz, for whom the young Broc is named, said "God is good."

Broc's mother, Suzanne Guzman, said she can't believe her son was taken in a matter of 30 seconds.

"I was in a panic all morning until I heard he was safe," Broc's mother, Suzanne Guzman told NBC Bay Area on Monday.

Broc  was taken just before 5 a.m. as he waited, asleep, in his parents' 2001 silver Toyota Corolla,  police spokeswoman Kathryn McCormick said.

Broc's dad had left the car warming up in the driveway when it was stolen, police said. His mom was supposed to enter the car to take her children to school. Broc and his older brother go to school in Napa, about 20 miles away, the family said. The older brother was not in the car when it was stolen.

"About 4:45 this morning, we got a frantic call from Mom saying that the vehicle had been stolen and that child had been in the back seat at that time," McCormick said. "Since then, officers have been searching all over the city."

McCormick said it appeared to be a "crime of opportunity," and that the car thief likely "didn't even know that Brock was asleep in the back."

Suzanne Guzman said she learned an important lesson: Never leave warm up your car with your children inside unattended.

No one in the family will "ever be doing that again," she said, saying she will learn from this "mistake." "None of us are perfect," she said.

NBC Bay Area's Tim Bollinger, Lisa Fernandez, Riya Bhattacharjee and KCRA contributed them to the report. EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story had spelled Broc's name incorrectly.

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