Nightmare before the Christmas holidays Thief steals singer's BMW - his children are still in the car
What was planned as a festive family outing ended in a transnational police operation. A car thief kidnaps the children of singer Sander Kwarten in the Netherlands.
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- A thief stole the car of Dutch singer Sander Kwarten, including his three children in the back seat.
- The perpetrator was later arrested in Belgium.
- Kwarten is concerned about the psychological consequences of the traumatic experience for his children.
Dutch folk music singer Sander Kwarten was the victim of a dramatic incident: a thief stole his BMW while his three children were sitting in the back seat.
The incident occurred on Saturday in the early hours of the morning as the family was about to leave for Austria for the Christmas vacations, as Sander told the Belgian newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad ". The car was parked in the driveway of the house in the Dutch town of Breda, the engine was already running and the children - aged four, six and ten - were sitting in the back seat with their seatbelts fastened.
While the singer and his wife were making final preparations, the thief seized the opportunity and drove off in the car. Footage from a surveillance camera showed how quickly the thief struck. The parents rushed into the street, but could only see the rear lights of the car. In panic, they took up the chase in another vehicle.
Thief arrested in Belgium
After a short time, they spotted the BMW at the side of the road. The thief was just about to throw the children out of the car. When he saw the parents approaching, he threw one of the children in front of the approaching car, forcing the singer to slam on the brakes. The thief escaped again, but the BMW was fitted with a tracking system that eventually led police to the vehicle in the Belgian province of Antwerp.
The suspect, a 36-year-old man of no fixed abode, was apprehended by police and detained in Belgium. According to reports, he is a repeat offender. The Dutch authorities plan to request his extradition.
Kwarten expressed his concern to the Dutch regional newspaper "Omroep Brabant" about the psychological impact of the incident on his children: "They will be traumatized for the rest of their lives."
