OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - The Broward Sheriff’s Office on Sunday arrested a 35-year-old man who was seen on surveillance video in Oakland Park carjacking a woman and driving off with her child in the back seat.
Willio Petioma was charged with kidnapping, interfering with custody of a minor, carjacking and the illegal use of a credit card.
According to officials, Petioma was identified by his own mother after she recognized him on the news.
“He was recognized by his own mother. I would consider that to be a strong identification,” said prosecutors.
During his court appearance on Monday, Petioma’s bond was denied by a judge.
The incident occurred at around 8:30 a.m., Wednesday after BSO received a call about a stolen vehicle at 850 W. Commercial Blvd. in Oakland Park.
Detectives said that the child’s mother had been in a minor car wreck and was exchanging information with the other driver when Petioma hopped in and stole the car.
“She left her vehicle, got out of it, and that is when this subject got into her vehicle and started to take off,” said BSO spokesperson Miranda Grossman.
Prosecutors in court told the judge that the mother did everything she could to keep him from driving away.
“Not to stop him from taking the car but frankly, just out of concern for her own baby, which she told him, her baby was in the car,” said a prosecutor.
The mother, told 7News over the phone after the incident, that she wanted Petioma caught as soon as possible.
“I just wish he is found so he can pay for what he did and he won’t be able to do it again,” said the victim. “I was gonna lose my baby, you know? I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see her again.”
Surveillance video, obtained by investigators, showed Petioma taking the vehicle, but stopping a few blocks away to leave the child, still in her car seat, on a sidewalk. Bystanders in the area quickly rushed to the child and she was not injured.
More surveillance video captured Petioma abandoning the vehicle and taking off the shirt he was wearing when he committed the crime. The final clip showed him using the victim’s credit card at a Family Dollar store on the 1900 block of Northwest Ninth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale.
Aside from being wanted in this carjacking case, Petioma was also wanted out of Palm Beach for possession of cocaine and resisting arrest.
He remains in the Broward County Jail.
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