Ocoee police find 2-year-old child in back seat of stolen vehicle

OCOEE, Fla. – Ocoee police have found a 2-year-old boy who was in the back seat of a car that was stolen Friday morning.

Authorities issued an urgent alert at about 11:30 a.m. asking for the public to be on the lookout for a white 2004 Oldsmobile Alero.

Ocoee police said the child's mother was trying to take her son out of his car seat at about 10:40 a.m. while parked at the Good Holmes Plaza when the suspect, Jemoy Gordon, 26, attacked her from behind and told her he had a gun. A struggle ensued, but Gordon eventually gained control of the vehicle and fled, police said.

"She fought valiantly because her child was in the car. She fought with him but despite her best efforts, this subject was able to get away with her car with her 2-year-old in the back seat," Ocoee Deputy Chief Samia Plasencia said.

About an hour after the carjacking was reported and an Amber Alert was initiated, an Orange County deputy who was conducting traffic patrol in the area in hopes of finding the vehicle saw the car, according to authorities.

Sky 6 video from Apopka-Vineland Road and Balboa Drive at about noon showed police surrounding a vehicle that matched the description police provided. A man with dreadlocks was seen sitting on a curb in handcuffs as authorities removed a child from the vehicle.

Plasencia said the toddler was unharmed.

"It's very fortunate in this case that it was resolved in such a great manner with this child being found unharmed and still in the vehicle and the suspect being taken into custody within a relatively short period of time," she said.

The child's grandmother, Betty Ferguson, said she's thankful to first responders who acted quickly.

"Every second counts and they got there before anything were to happen to my grandson," Ferguson said.

Gordon was arrested and faces aggravated kidnapping, armed carjacking and battery charges, officials said. He has been booked into jail.