An Amazon delivery driver had her child in the back seat when a man carjacked her Tuesday evening in East Baltimore, and police are now searching for the suspect responsible. Baltimore Police confirmed they are looking for a male suspect accused of stealing the vehicle with the child still inside.
The carjacking happened Tuesday evening in East Baltimore, according to WBFF, which reported that the driver was working when the suspect took her vehicle with her child in the back seat. Photographs from the scene were provided to the station by Michael Dudley. Beyond the confirmation that police are searching for the male suspect, the outlet's report does not specify whether the child was harmed or has since been released, whether the vehicle has been recovered, or the suspect's identity — all of which remain open questions as the investigation continues.
What Maryland Law Could Mean for the Suspect
If and when a suspect is identified and charged, Maryland law treats carjacking as a serious violent felony. Under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-405, carjacking and armed carjacking carry a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison upon conviction, and prosecutors are not required to prove an intent to permanently keep the stolen vehicle to secure a conviction, according to Maryland statute. State law also permits judges to order carjacking sentences to run consecutively to penalties for other offenses stemming from the same incident, such as child abduction or robbery.
Because the child was in the vehicle at the time it was taken, the case could also implicate Maryland's kidnapping statute. Under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 3-502 and § 3-503, forcibly carrying away or detaining a child without consent constitutes felony kidnapping, carrying a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, per legal guidance cited by The Herbst Firm. Maryland classifies kidnapping as a statutory crime of violence regardless of whether physical harm occurs. Should the suspect turn out to be 16 or 17 years old, Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Code § 3-8A-03 would require the case to bypass juvenile intake and proceed in adult court unless a judge orders a transfer, since felony carjacking charges automatically strip juvenile courts of exclusive jurisdiction over older teens.
A Familiar Danger for Delivery Drivers
This is not the first time an Amazon driver has been targeted in Baltimore while on the job. In July 2022, a delivery driver working an early morning shift in the city's Wyman Park neighborhood was carjacked and then run over by her own vehicle at 35 mph, resulting in severe injuries and the arrest of a juvenile suspect, according to CBS News WJZ. Gig delivery drivers often work early or late hours in personal vehicles without company branding, which can increase their exposure to opportunistic crime.
Federal authorities have also stepped in on the most severe carjacking and kidnapping cases in the Baltimore region. The U.S. Department of Justice secured a 40-year federal prison sentence in December 2025 and a 25-year sentence in February 2026 against ringleaders convicted in connection with violent armed carjackings and kidnappings across the metropolitan area, reflecting the substantial mandatory consecutive sentences that come with federal carjacking charges.
Citywide Numbers Show a Downward Trend
The Tuesday evening incident comes even as Baltimore has seen carjackings decline sharply. The Baltimore Police Department reported a 37% year-over-year reduction in carjackings citywide in 2025 compared to 2024, alongside historic drops in homicides, according to the Maryland Daily Record. Police have attributed the decrease to hiring increases and targeted violence reduction initiatives.
That local drop mirrors a national pattern. A midyear report released in July 2026 by the Council on Criminal Justice found that reported carjacking incidents across major U.S. cities fell 47% compared to the same period in 2025, after spiking nationally during the pandemic. A separate evaluation by the University of Pennsylvania's Crime and Justice Policy Lab found that Baltimore's Group Violence Reduction Strategy generated an approximate 33% reduction in carjackings in targeted police districts, a program that coordinates police enforcement with community intervention and social services.
Recent East Baltimore Enforcement
Baltimore Police have continued to make arrests tied to carjackings elsewhere in the city's east side in recent months. In July, Eastern District officers arrested a 19-year-old suspect in connection with a June armed carjacking in the nearby Belair-Edison case after a multi-week investigation that recovered stolen property. In a separate incident in August, a carjacking suspect drove toward Anne Arundel County police officers during an attempted traffic stop near the Baltimore city border, prompting officers to fire shots before the vehicle fled into the city, according to Officer.com. Cross-border vehicle thefts like that one often require joint tracking between city and county police departments.
As of now, the suspect from Tuesday's East Baltimore carjacking remains at large, and Baltimore Police have not released additional details about the child's condition, the status of the vehicle, or the suspect's identity. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
