Social media was aflutter last night with people reposting, sharing, and retweeting pertinent information from an Amber Alert that was issued after a DoorDasher had his car stolen — with his two young kids inside. SFPD found the children still inside the stolen vehicle in Bayview around 1:15 a.m. Sunday.
According to ABC7, Jeffrey Fang, the father of the two children, was delivering an order for DoorDash on the 2100 block of Jackson Street in Pacific Heights around 8:45 p.m. when his minivan was stolen; Fang had left the car running with his 1-year-old and 4-year-old inside while he briefly completed the transaction; his hazard lights were also flashing. But after Fang came back to his car, he noticed that a stranger was inside his silver Honda Odyssey, sitting the driver’s seat — before the carjacker promptly took off with his children still buckled in.
***This AMBER Alert is being deactivated.***
— CHP - Alerts (@CHPAlerts) February 7, 2021
We express our sincere gratitude for the support of our fellow community members. Your actions contributed to the safe recovery of both children.@SFPD #AmberAlert https://t.co/NBRJJXHKbD
"I yelled at him and told him to get out and two of my kids are in the car," Fang said to the local news outlet. "One is a 4-year-old girl and another is a 1-year-old boy...They speak Mandarin only. I just want my kids back."
The children and vehicle have been FOUND in the city’s Bayview District. The children will be medically evaluated and reunited with their parents. Suspects are still outstanding - no suspect info. at this time.
— San Francisco Police (@SFPD) February 7, 2021
THANK YOU everyone for your assistance. pic.twitter.com/wO3yN7C6Ap
Fang immediately reported the incident to law officials and the nail-biting search for Winnifred, 4, and Sean, 1, began. CHP issued an Amber Alert for San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Marin, and Santa Clara counties shortly before 11 p.m. — a good while later after the incident and call-to-action was posted on Citizen, as some Twitter users mentioned.
Per the Chronicle, San Francisco police later Saturday evening updated the public saying that all available units — "including motorcycle, traffic enforcement, and dirt bikes" — were mobilized to find the children. Thankfully, local police said that around 1:15 a.m. they found the kids, who were each safe, beside the abandoned vehicle in Bayview.
Thank you to the media for getting the word out, @CHPSanFrancisco for your assistance and Amber Alert, @SheriffSF, @SFFDPIO and our additional partner law enforcement agencies. A huge thank you to the community for all the social media and calls to us. @SFPD #safetywithrespect
— David Lazar (@SFPDDCLazar) February 7, 2021
"Children have been located and are safe! Medical attention summoned just as a precaution," tweeted David Lazar, deputy chief of the investigations bureau.
Thank you to the heroic police officers who worked tirelessly to locate the two children. A special thanks to the @SFPDBayview officers who located the children and the vehicle. Our work continues in the Investigations Bureau to identify and apprehend those responsible. @sfpd
— David Lazar (@SFPDDCLazar) February 7, 2021
The newspaper noted the carjacking suspect, who was described by the children as male, is approximately 5' 10" with black hair, brown eyes, and is estimated to be somewhere between 20 to 30 years old; the individual should be considered "armed and dangerous," CHP said; police said he still remains at large as of Sunday morning.
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Image: Courtesy of Twitter via @CHPAlerts