Florida man steals car from gas station with 1-year-old in back seat — then soon ​returns car, apologizes to mother: Cops

A man stole a car from a gas station in Cocoa, Florida, last Tuesday with a 1-year-old child in the back seat — and then seconds later returned the vehicle and apologized to the mother, police said.

William Mullis, 53, is seen on surveillance video outside a Sunoco station off U.S. Highway 1 walking toward the victim’s car, WESH-TV reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

'In this case, she’s very lucky that this guy saw there was a child in the back seat, got a case of remorse, and decided to drive back and give her her car back with her child in it.'

Mullis drove toward the gas station exit, made a right turn on Highway 1 — but seconds later backed up, re-entered the gas station area, and parked in a space in front of the gas station store, WESH said.

The mother of the 1-year-old child ran out of the gas station store and confronted Mullis, WESH said, adding that the mother told investigators Mullis said he wouldn't have stolen the car had he known a baby was inside.

Mullis then apologized to her and left the area on foot, the station said.

“I’m sure this is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear told WESH. “In this case, she’s very lucky that this guy saw there was a child in the back seat, got a case of remorse, and decided to drive back and give her her car back with her child in it.”

More from WESH:

Under Florida law, it is illegal for a parent or anyone responsible for a child younger than 6 unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes. The vehicle can't be running, and the child may not be left alone if their health is in danger or they are in distress.

Goodyear said it appears the child was inside the car for only a few minutes. The mother is not facing any charges at this time.

“I have three kids. I have four grandkids, and it’s a pain to take the kids out of the car when you’re going in for just a short period of time,” Goodyear added to WESH. “But this kind of reinforces you never know what’s gonna happen. You never know who’s watching you.”

Mullis was arrested and booked into the Brevard County Jail for grand theft of a motor vehicle and kidnapping/confinement of a child under 13 years old, WOFL-TV reported, citing jail records and the arrest affidavit.

Jail records indicated Mullis was still behind bars Tuesday morning. WESH said he's being held without bond, and his next court date is in early November.

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