Vadim Vorbyov of Springfield, Mass., is facing kidnapping and other charges in Massachusetts after he was arrested in connection with an Amber Alert issued this week, authorities said. Photo courtesy of Connecticut State Police
March 30 (UPI) — A missing 3-year-old that was the subject of an Amber Alert in Massachusetts is safe and a suspect is now in custody and charged with kidnapping, police have confirmed following a manhunt.
Vadim Vorbyov, of Springfield, Mass., is facing kidnapping, child endangerment, and motor vehicle larceny charges in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts State Police confirmed in a statement Friday.
The 52-year old also faces kidnapping, child endangerment, and fugitive from justice charges in Connecticut.
Authorities were searching for Vorbyov after he was seen getting into a running car Friday morning outside a home in Chicopee, Mass.
Officials contend Vorbyov then drove off in the stolen vehicle with 3-year-old Liam David Pagan inside at around 8:40 a.m. In response, police issued the Amber Alert, which lasted for approximately two hours.
Vorbyov was captured on video dropping the toddler off outside a motel in Connecticut later that morning. Motel staff then called police after quickly recognizing the child and Vorrbyov was arrested a short while later at a nearby fitness facility after the car was found abandoned in Connecticut.
“Officers and Troopers rushed to the hotel shortly after 10:30 AM and found the child safe and apparently unharmed. The boy was transported to a Massachusetts hospital for a precautionary examination,” state police said in the statement.
The episode prompted the non-profit group Kids and Car Safety warned parents against leaving a child inside a running vehicle.
“It is incredibly traumatizing for everyone involved and a significant misuse of law enforcement resources. Incidents like this are very easily avoidable by never leaving a child alone in a vehicle,” the group said in a statement to the Boston Herald.