lawrence

Toddler Safe After SUV Stolen With Her Inside in Lawrence

A 22-month-old girl was dropped off at Lawrence General Hospital after the vehicle she was inside was stolen, and a man and a woman face kidnapping charges

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A young girl is safe after an SUV was stolen with her in the back seat Monday night in Lawrence, Massachusetts, authorities say.

State police said the 22-month-old girl was dropped off at Lawrence General Hospital and is safe. The 2011 Honda Pilot she was inside was stolen on South Broadway.

State troopers and officers with the Chelmsford Police Department chased the vehicle south down Interstate 495, stopping the vehicle north of Interstate 290 in Berlin.

Two people — a man and a woman — were taken into custody. Police identified them Tuesday morning as Adam Maksou, a 36-year-old from Methuen, and Jamie (O'Neil) Garrity, both 36 years old.

Both faces charges of kidnapping. Maksou is also being charged with car theft and reckless endangerment of a child, while Garrity is also being charged with receiving a stolen vehicle. Garrity initially said her name was Erin Clark, saying she was 29 and from Haverhill, police said, noting that she was also being charged with providing a false name.

It wasn't immediately clear if they had attorneys who could speak to the charges. They were due in Lawrence District Court Tuesday.

Authorities had asked anyone who saw the vehicle, which was believed to have front end damage, to call 911.

The child's grandmother, Belgica Diaz, said she was being evaluated at the hospital.

"They're checking [her] and everything is going to be fine," Diaz said. "When you believe in God, the impossible can happen … When we pray, I feel that everything's going to be OK."

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