Carjacking puts small business owner’s child in danger

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- After a scary situation involving a stolen car, a local family is urging others to be extra aware of their surroundings.

Tara Becker and her husband own a couple of businesses in Columbus -- a sweets shop and a small car dealership. They were at the dealership Saturday afternoon and Becker's husband was working on a truck they recently received, their 8-year-old son in the back seat.

“My worst fear was coming to life because my son was in the back of that truck," Becker said about what happened next.

She said a male who she estimated to be in their late teens or early 20s got in the driver's seat of the truck and started to drive off. Her husband screamed and tried to stop the truck.

“My husband said he met eyes with him through the windshield and he was like, it was just like anger, that he was taking the truck and he better get out of the way," Becker said.

She also said her son hit the driver and was able to get out of the truck before it got too far. 

"I am so proud of that kid on so many levels because at 8 years old, you think how could any 8-year-old know how to handle a situation like that," Becker said. "He was so concerned about his dad, and that guy was going to hit him and in that moment, it triggered in him there’s something wrong here."

The Columbus Division of Police is investigating. So far, no one has been arrested and the truck has not been found.

“If we get the truck back, great; if we don’t, it doesn’t matter because all that is important is that we have my son and that he didn't run over my husband because he was determined he was taking the truck," Becker said.

The city of Columbus averages nearly 30 stolen vehicles a day, according to Commander Dave Hughes. The total for 2022 was around 11,000. Hughes said the city is on pace to have a similar amount this year.

"It strains everybody," he said. "It strains insurance premiums, it strains the people who can't use their vehicle for work. It affects everybody, and it ties up an officer for several hours of just recovering that vehicle or if we made apprehensions inside."