SUV stolen with 3 kids inside

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Three children went through a terrifying three hour ordeal after the SUV that they were sitting in was stolen on Friday afternoon.

The vehicle was stolen at about 4:30 p.m. in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn.  The NYPD says the children's mother and father got out at a beauty supply store at Flatland Ave. and East 81st. St. while it was still running and the key inside.  A man walking down the sidewalk saw the vehicle and jumped into it and drove off.

The children in the SUV were a 1-year-old girl, a 2-year-old boy and a 8-year-old girl.  The oldest girl saw her dad's phone still in the vehicle.  She picked it up to try to call for help but the suspect snatched it away from her.

2-hours and 45-minutes later, police found the man had abandoned the vehicle and all three children were scared but still inside.  They did not appear injured but they were taken to the hospital as a precaution before being reunited with their parents.

Police said the car was found at Farragut Rd. and 87th St.  Police say they are still looking for a man in connection with the case.  They released a photo of him in hopes someone would help identify him.

The license plate number of the stolen vehicle was put into computerized cameras that track plates.  Alerts were sent to police officers when the vehicle passed any of those cameras.