Man Charged In San Leandro Kidnapping, Carjacking With 4-Year-Old Inside
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) -- Prosecutors charged a man with kidnapping and carjacking Thursday for allegedly stealing a woman's car while her 4-year-old child was inside as she was dropping her younger child off at a San Leandro daycare facility on Tuesday.
Jason Silva, 44, told police investigators that he unwittingly took the child when he stole the car to get out of the rain and abandoned it as soon as he realized what he'd done, according to court documents. He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday for arraignment and his bail was set at $230,000.
The kidnapping was reported at 7:35 a.m. Tuesday. The victim, a mother of two, was dropping the younger of her two children off at a daycare facility in the 200 block of Cherrywood Avenue, according to police. She left her 4-year-old son in the backseat of her SUV with the engine running.
As she was bringing the child inside, a man jumped in the driver's side door and started backing out of the driveway. The woman ran into the street, blocking the vehicle's path, but he drove forward, pushing her out of the way without injuring her.
Police found the car about 10 minutes later on 107th Avenue in Oakland, about two blocks from International Boulevard near Graffian Street. The doors were unlocked, the engine was still running and the 4-year-old boy was still in the back seat unharmed.
Investigators found surveillance video of the suspect from the area near the daycare. As they were canvassing the area where they found the car, at about 10:30 a.m. police saw a man who fit the description of the suspect wearing the same clothes as in the theft and arrested him.
Investigators said that Silva admitted his involvement in an interview, saying he took the car because he was cold and wet. He noticed the woman running toward him but decided he was committed to taking the car and drove forward, but tried not to hurt her.
He didn't know the child was in the back seat until the boy said something as he was driving. Once he realized, he parked the car and abandoned it, hoping someone would call the police, according to court documents by San Leandro police Detective Michael Benz.
Silva has prior convictions for two counts of robbery and evading officers in 2008. When he was arrested, he was on probation for another conviction for evading officers in 2014.
TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
