Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 10:36
A multi-county effort ended with the safe recovery of a kidnapped 3-year-old boy and the arrest of a man on a California highway. The suspect was stopped Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 5, 2026, after OnStar remotely shut off his SUV.
The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a home invasion in Van Nuys around 8:13 a.m. The victim's 3-year-old son was gone. Police described the suspect as an adult man driving a black Chevrolet Equinox rental with Oregon license plates and possibly carrying a gun.
LAPD called the Merced CHP office after tracking the rental car to Western Fresno County, along Interstate 5 near Shields Avenue.
The California Highway Patrol's Los Banos office joined the chase. A Merced communications center and Fresno County sheriff's deputies also played a role. The vehicle was found north of Shields Avenue. OnStar disabled the engine, and the SUV stopped on the right shoulder.
According to a CHP Los Banos release, the Merced Communication Center received the call from LAPD detectives at approximately 11:51 a.m. Officers located the vehicle on northbound I-5 north of Shields Avenue at approximately 12:25 p.m. Unmarked Fresno County Sheriff's Department units joined CHP personnel in position behind the vehicle before OnStar remotely shut off the engine. A high-risk stop was then conducted.
ABC30 places the takedown in Fresno County; CHP's Los Banos area is based in Merced County. The suspect was taken into custody without incident, along with two female passengers.
CHP officials later confirmed the stop occurred in Merced County. The parent, two women, and the child were traveling on I-5 in Merced County when the vehicle came to a stop on the right shoulder, and officers moved in to take the occupants into custody, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officers found the 3-year-old inside the vehicle. The boy was alert and in good condition. CHP officers gave him food and clothing while waiting for LAPD detectives to arrive by air at the Los Banos airport.
The suspect was identified as the child's non-custodial parent, according to the CHP. Meanwhile, CHP Los Banos personnel and Los Banos Police bought the boy new clothes, including a Spider-Man Miles Morales outfit, and food while he waited for LAPD detectives.
CHP described the case as a noncustodial parent-child abduction. LAPD personnel flew to Los Banos Municipal Airport and took custody of the child.
The arrest put Merced County and the Los Banos area in the middle of a major Los Angeles kidnapping investigation. Local CHP units handled the dangerous stop and cared for the victim. The case shows how rural Central California highways become key corridors in cross-county manhunts.
Parental abductions are not uncommon in California, but they rarely require remote vehicle tracking across multiple counties. OnStar's engine disable technology has been used for years to stop stolen cars and, in this case, a suspected kidnapping. The LAPD said the incident may have stemmed from a custody dispute.
The child is back with his family and the investigation is active. Authorities have not released the suspect's name. Anyone with information can contact the LAPD.
