MIDDLETOWN, Oh. (NBC NEWS) – An 8-year-old boy in Ohio who escaped last week from the backseat of a stolen vehicle with his sister is being hailed as a hero by authorities.
The children’s great-grandmother, Nita Coburn, 69, told police she had the children with her when she drove her daughter to the Atrium Medical Center in Middletown on Thursday afternoon.
When she pulled up to the entrance of the emergency room, Coburn said she exited the vehicle to help her daughter into the hospital.
Seconds later, Dalvir Singh, 24, jumped into the driver’s seat and took off with the children still in the backseat, police said. The boy, Chance, opened a car door to escape with his sister, Skylar, 10, but Singh allegedly grabbed the girl by her hoodie preventing her from fleeing, according to police. Chance was able to grab hold of Skylar and the two tumbled out of the vehicle as it was moving, surveillance footage shows.
Coburn said she did not realize they had escaped and chased the vehicle by foot. She opened the driver’s side door and attempted to regain control of the car, but Dalvir allegedly slammed the door shut, accelerated and dragged her four car lengths before she let go, police said.
Two officers observed the stolen vehicle fleeing the scene and arrested Singh, who police said is a heroin addict. He was taken into custody and charged with kidnapping, felonious assault and grand theft.
The Middletown Division of Police said it will recognize Chance for his actions.
“This little guy is a hero. No question,” police chief Rodney Muterspaw said in a statement. “He pulled his sister out of the car with no concern for his own safety.”
