Philippe Mexès Reunited with Daughter After Carjacking

What started out as a morning of errands ended up as a parent’s worst nightmare, when AS Roma defender Philippe Mexès‘ vehicle was carjacked with his daughter Eva inside. The incident occurred in front of their Italian home when Philippe’s wife Carla briefly left the vehicle to carry their sleeping son Enzo, 5, inside. While she took her little boy into the house, two men came in behind her andstole the keys.

Immediately contacting the police, a search began for the stolen car — and more importantly, the baby inside. Fifteen minutes later, the SUV was abandoned by the two men, with Eva, who turns one next week, still sleeping in the backseat.

A shaken Philippe, 26, who was not present when the incident occurred, has been granted the day off from training.

Source: AFP

Thanks to CBB reader Chloe.

Comments

Am so glad the baby is ok

- Cassie on July 25th, 2008

holy moly! i could NOT even imagine how scary that might have been. So glad they got their daughter back safe and sound.

- carie on July 25th, 2008

thats a parent nightmare.i’m so glad that she is safe and sound.

- tan on July 25th, 2008

Those must have been the longest 15 minutes of their lives ever..I’m really glad their baby Eva is okay! Poor little thing slept through it all!

- tiffanyyy on July 25th, 2008

How terrifying!!! I’m so glad the baby’s okay.

- Ashley on July 25th, 2008

This is so terifying !!! We actually make sure that the kids dont sleep in teh car until we get home so we dont have to deal with moving them. Especially if it’s in the morning, kids need to wait till they get home and can go sleep then. Im so glad that the baby is all right. These things happen in Italy little more then elsewhere

- Nikka on July 25th, 2008

Actually, on tip, what parents could do: put the club on immediately and lock the car if they already have to leave the other baby inside. I would not think of this until now (when thinking about this horrible story) but it just occured to me and hopefully will help prevent another one

- Nikka on July 25th, 2008

I couldn’t imagine how terrified they must have been. I’m in NO WAY saying anything bad about the mother,but why didn’t she get the 2 year old old and take both kids in at the same time?

- jillyen on July 25th, 2008

Because they were both napping and she was trying to transfer them without waking them up.

- Erica on July 25th, 2008

That is so scary! Philippe has such a beautiful family, although I don’t think little Eva is even a year yet. I’m so happy they have her back!

- Susie on July 25th, 2008

Sleeping or not, this is why you NEVER leave a child unattended. It was clearly a mistake that I’m sure this family will learn from and hopefully others will learn from it as well. Thank God this had a happy ending.

- Melissa on July 25th, 2008

I also thought that all the soccer players in italy live in gated and guarded communities for this very reason of children kidnapping beside other things

- Nikka on July 25th, 2008

So very scary…and I’m sure the mother feels terrible. She didn’t think any harm would come to the child and I feel so sorry for her because she must have been a wreck. SOOOOO glad that little baby is okay and that they had a happy ending. Oh my!

- SouthernBelle on July 25th, 2008

why do you say these things happen more in Italy than elsewhere? Don’t they steal cars in the U.S? They didn’t mean to steal the baby, they left the car just 1 kilometer far as they realized she was on the car….I don’t think there’s more crime in Rome than in New York actually….

- alice on July 26th, 2008

Nikka–how EXACTLY would you suggest to NOT have a baby fall asleep in the car??

- LisaB on July 26th, 2008

I’m happy for Philippe and his family….he’s a great soccer player!!!!
And for people that doesn’t know…kidnapping in Italy is so uncommon…
xxxx

- Lale on July 26th, 2008

I’m sure whoever did it had no intention f kidnapping the baby, because they left her perfectly unharmed. They probably were coming to get the car, and didn’t realise until a 10 mins or so later that the baby was sleeping in the car.

I’m so relieved that Eva was found safe and unharmed. It must be every parent’s worst nightmare – the mum would never have forgiven her self if anything would have happened.

- Jess on July 26th, 2008

What a story. I’m so glad that they are all safe.

- Cyndi on July 26th, 2008

Wow, that must have been a scary time. I can’t imagine what they went through, I’m glad all is well in the end.

- Jen on July 26th, 2008

Wow! I am just so glad to know that Eva is okay and that no harm was done to her or the rest of the family. I don’t know how some people can be so rude as to say what the mother ‘should’ have done. What’s done is done and there is no right way to go about transferring sleeping children from a vehicle. I’m sure the area she lives in is safer than most and it just never crossed her mind that it would happen. My thoughts are with this family while they process this extremely frightening experience.

- Harley on July 27th, 2008