‘I wouldn’t have taken it if I knew’: Florida man returns car with baby inside, after taking it

Video footage shows a man stealing the vehicle outside a Sunoco gas station in Cocoa. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource)

COCOA, Florida -- A man is facing charges of grand theft and kidnapping after video shows him driving away with a woman’s car — only to return it seconds later, police said.

William Mullis, 53, is seen on camera outside a Sunoco gas station in Cocoa, off U.S. Highway 1. He appears to look around, then walks north, out of the view of the gas station’s surveillance camera, toward the victim’s car, according to an arrest affidavit.

The car is then seen driving toward the exit, stopping before making a right onto U.S. Highway 1. It backs up, passes the pumps and comes to a final stop in a parking space in front of the store, according to the report.

The mother then runs out of the gas station and confronts Mullis.

She told investigators he said he would not have stolen the car if he had known a baby was inside. He then apologized and left the area on foot.

“I’m sure this is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tod Goodyear said. “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.”

Under Florida law, it is illegal for a parent or anyone responsible for a child younger than six 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 said. “But this kind of reinforces you never know what’s gonna happen. You never know who’s watching you.”

Mullis is being held without bond. His next court date is in early November.