Mass. 3-year-old found safe after alleged thief stole car with boy inside

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.