Man steals car with toddler in back seat, robs bank, hits tree and dies from injuries, police say

WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — A man suspected of stealing a car in Connecticut with a 17-month-old child in the back seat and then robbing a bank died after the vehicle struck a tree, police said Wednesday.

The toddler was awake and responsive after the crash in Windsor, just north of Hartford, authorities said.

Police in Windsor said they received a report shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday that someone stole a vehicle from outside a school with a child in the back seat. A short while later, police received separate reports of a bank robbery and a vehicle striking a tree, according to the Hartford Courant.

Police responded to all three locations.

“As officers gathered information at each location, it became apparent that all three incidents are related,” Lt. Nicholas Dally said in a statement reported by the newspaper.

Police said they believe the suspect stole the car in front of the school before robbing the bank and that he then fled and crashed the stolen vehicle with the toddler still inside.

The suspect, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The child’s mother was brought to the crash scene and accompanied the child to a hospital. There was no immediate update on the child’s condition.