Amber Alert canceled after 1-year-old boy inside stolen van is found unharmed

A 1-year-old boy who had been inside a red minivan as it was stolen Thursday was found unharmed in a McDonald’s parking lot, prompting police to cancel an Amber Alert.

A man stole the dark red Honda Odyssey in a recycling center parking lot in the 1500 block of Gage Road, according to the Montebello Police Department.

Inside the van was 1-year-old Caleb Castro.

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The boy’s mother, Maria Castro, had parked the van, left her three children inside and stepped out about 10 feet from the vehicle to deposit recyclables, police said.

The man approached and ordered two girls, ages 6 and 4, out of the van, then started the vehicle and drove away, police said.

He fled the parking lot and drove south on Gage Road. During a press conference, Castro pleaded to the man to return her son unharmed.

“He’s a baby, I just want my baby back. It’s really hard. I don’t care if you took my car or whatever is in the car, I just want my baby back. That is most important for me right now,” Castro said.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a person who received the Amber Alert notification spotted the minivan in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant along the 9000 block of West Slauson Avenue in Pico Rivera, police said.

The boy appeared unharmed and was taken to a hospital.

Surveillance video in the area showed the minivan arrived at the McDonald’s about 3 p.m. and parked. The man left the van and fled in a separate vehicle, police said.

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