Woman scares off stranger after he steals car with her and baby inside, NH cops say

A stranger driving a stolen car with a woman and baby inside was scared off when the woman took control of the vehicle in New Hampshire, police say.

The woman and infant were inside the car before noon when a man got in the driver’s seat and tried kidnapping them near Hampton Beach State Park on Aug. 26, according to a news release from the Hampton Police Department.

David Tayes, a 46-year-old from Maine, drove the pair over the Underwood Memorial Bridge at dangerous speeds before arriving at traffic lights where the woman was able to put the car in park, authorities say.

While stopped, the woman warned Tayes she was going to call 911, and this prompted him to get out of the car and run away, according to investigators.

Police tracked Tayes down nearby soon after he escaped and arrested him, the release said.

Now police say he’s facing charges including kidnapping, reckless conduct and motor vehicle theft.

Tayes appeared in court on Aug. 29 for an arraignment.

He reportedly told police that he thought the woman inside the car was attractive, prosecutors said in court, according to WMTW. Prior to stealing the car, he had been arrested for trespassing that same day, the outlet reported.

Hampton Beach State Park is roughly 55 miles southeast of Concord.

This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Woman scares off stranger after he steals car with her and baby inside, NH cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.