Mom and child carjacked and kidnapped at knifepoint in parking lot, Wisconsin cops say

A Wisconsin woman and her child were carjacked and kidnapped in a parking lot in Grand Chute, according to police.

At about 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2, the 31-year-old Neenah woman was getting into her vehicle with her 4-year-old when a knife-wielding man approached, threatened her and grabbed her keys, the Grand Chute Police Department said in a news release.

The man made them ride in the vehicle with him as he drove from bank to bank, forcing the mother to withdraw money to give to him, police said.

Eventually, the woman and child got away from the man and reported what happened to police, the department said. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police quickly shared the license plate number and description of the stolen vehicle — a black sedan — with neighboring departments and sheriff’s offices, the release said.

Through a “coordinated effort,” authorities tracked down the vehicle and arrested the accused carjacker, who police only identified as a 51-year-old man.

He was booked into the Outagamie County Jail on charges of carjacking, kidnapping and robbery, as well as bail jumping, the release said.

An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Grand Chute Police Department at 920-832-1575.

Grand Chute is roughly 30 miles southwest of Green Bay.

This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Mom and child carjacked and kidnapped at knifepoint in parking lot, Wisconsin cops say."