Suspects Who Stole Car Full of Triplets Sought

Tustin police continued searching Wednesday for one or more suspects who stole a car with three infant boys in the back seat.

The car, which had been left unlocked with the engine running, was stolen while the triplets’ father ran an errand at a Shell gas station on Jamboree Road about 8 p.m. Tuesday, Tustin Police Lt. Bill Fischer said.

About 25 minutes later at a nearby Costco store, an employee found the babies in the bed of a parked truck. The infants were unharmed and still strapped in their car seats, investigators said. Their father, who had reported the crime, identified the babies at the scene.

The crime is serious “because the kids were in the car,” Fischer said. When the suspects are caught, they will be charged with kidnapping as well as car theft, he said.

The 14-week-old children were reunited with their parents less than half an hour after the car was stolen, Fischer said.

Police are still looking for the stolen blue Toyota 4-Runner, with the California license plate 2WLN094.

Fischer reminded the public that leaving vehicles unlocked and running is an invitation for thieves. The triplets’ parents, he said, “got that message loud and clear.”