UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Police have reunited a child with his family after being kidnapped by a car thief inside a car while his grandfather was getting gas.
Approximately two hours after an Amber Alert was issued on Thursday evening, police arrested and charged a man with kidnapping the child. The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Ariel Florentino-Galeas of Hyattsville.
At approximately 6:20 pm on Thursday, the suspect jumped into the victim’s running SUV at a gas station in the unincorporated area of Upper Marlboro in the 5300 block of Ritchie Marlboro Road.
At the time of the vehicle theft, the man’s three-year-old grandson was in the SUV. The grandfather immediately notified the police. The Prince George’s County Police Department conducted an extensive search for both the child and the stolen vehicle.
Two hours later, a driver called 911 to report a hit-and-run incident near 56th Avenue and Hamilton Street in Riverdale. The reported SUV resembled the one stolen in Upper Marlboro, as described by the driver.
With the assistance of the PGPD Aviation Unit, officers quickly responded to the area and located an abandoned SUV in the 5300 block of Farragut Street in the Riverdale area.
The child was found alone in the vehicle. Officers quickly reunited him with his family and continued their exhaustive search for the suspect, who was located and arrested at approximately 8:35 p.m.
Several charges have been filed against Florentino-Galeas, including kidnapping, reckless endangerment, theft, and unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle. He is currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections.
If anyone has information on this case, they are asked to please call 301-390-2160.