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An individual from Chicago, identified as Earl Abernathy, bravely saved a 7-month-old baby who was left abandoned following a carjacking in hot weather conditions. Abernathy went on to utilize social media to locate the baby’s family, as per authorities who reported on Thursday.
The incident occurred on July 3 while Abernathy, aged 33, found himself stuck in traffic. It was during this moment that he heard the cries of the infant and noticed her unattended on the steps of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church situated in Little Italy neighborhood of the city.
Recounting the situation, Abernathy stated, “I saw the baby like, trying to wiggle [her] way out of the car seat and it tipped over. So, I just threw the hazards on, jumped out, ran over there [and] got the baby!”
The little girl had been in the backseat of a vehicle stolen from a nearby gas station earlier that day — then ditched by a carjacker in 92-degree heat, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
Abernathy called police and went on Facebook Live to track down the baby’s family, and quickly got messages from people who recognized her.
“It was crazy,” Abernathy said. “Within minutes, the grandma had inboxed me like, ‘That’s my grandbaby!’ And then the auntie inboxed like, ‘That’s my niece!’”
The infant, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital for a check-up and then reunited with her family.
“We were all out of our minds,” the baby’s grateful grandma, Karen Whittington, told the Sun-Times.
“Everyone is OK, and we [are] glad she’s found.”
Jeremy Ochoa, 38, was ultimately arrested for the carjacking and charged kidnapping and vehicular hijacking, according to Chicago cops.