COTA bus operator identifies car, helps resolve Amber Alert in Newark

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — An Amber Alert on Thursday for a missing infant girl from Newark was resolved after about two hours when a COTA bus operator identified the accused abductor’s license plate.

The alert was issued about 5 p.m. for a girl just under 1 year old in Newark. She was last seen with her father, who was facing a domestic violence charge in Licking County and separate charges of swatting and theft in Franklin County.

A COTA bus operator noticed the suspect’s car while on his break and called the transit authority’s dispatch center. He was able to confirm it was the car from the alert by reading the license plate, then seeing the alleged abductor get out of the vehicle with the baby. COTA dispatch called the police, who came ten minutes after the call.

The alert was canceled just after 7 p.m., when police said they found the pair safe at a hotel on Morse Road near Easton Town Center.

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