The 25-year-old man, who is due to appear in Whakatane District Court, stole the car from the driveway of a Bay of Plenty home on Tuesday night.
After allegedly stealing the vehicle, police say the man drove for 40 minutes through Taneatua with the baby boy in the backseat, before he handed the child to a pedestrian.
He was later arrested.
Bay of Plenty police Sergeant Mike Membry said: “The owner of the vehicle parked the car with the child still in the carseat and went into the house.”
But as the mother went inside for a moment, the thief jumped into the vehicle and took off, leaving the mother distraught.
Luckily, it only took a short while to locate the missing baby, who had been dropped off with a pedestrian during the thief’s joy ride.
He has now been charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and driving while disqualified for a third time.
Sergeant Membrey said the incident should serve as a warning for parents to always keep their child with them at all times.
