3 Young Kids Found In Vehicle Towed From Downtown Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police are investigating after three young children were found alone in a vehicle that had been towed from downtown.

Just after 3 a.m. Sunday, officers from the 4th Precinct were dispatched to the 4000 block of Washington Avenue North on a report of children found underneath blankets in the backseat of a vehicle.

The children were all under the age of 5, police said.

According to the preliminary investigation, onsite security at a private parking lot on North 3rd Street called for a tow truck because a vehicle there was parked illegally.

The mother claimed she was only going to park there briefly while she ran an errand nearby. When she realized her car was gone, she called the towing company to find her children and her vehicle, authorities said.

The children were evaluated by EMS and police confirmed they were not in "immediate danger." They were released back into the mother's care after she arrived at her towed vehicle.

Hennepin County Child Protective Services was notified of the incident and a police report for child neglect was filed.