Mom jumps on car hood to rescue sleeping 6-year-old during carjacking, Ohio cops say
Update: This story has been updated with details about the victim.
A 29-year-old woman died after she was thrown from the hood of a car when trying to rescue her sleeping 6-year-old son from a carjacking, Ohio police told news outlets.
Alexa Stakely went to pick up her child from a babysitter at about 1:30 a.m. July 11 at a Columbus apartment, WCMH reported. She carried her sleeping son to the car and left it running as she went back to the apartment to collect his belongings, according to WCMH.
Then, a person jumped in the running car and began to drive off, police told WCMH. As the mother saw the person start to drive away with her son in the backseat, she jumped into action, police told WSYX.
She jumped on the hood of the car hoping to stop the alleged thief, WSYX reported, citing police. The person drove “erratically” through the parking lot, police said, causing the mother to be thrown from the hood, WSYX reported.
The person then got out of the car and fled, police told WBNS. When officers arrived, they found the Stakely with life-threatening injuries and the son unharmed and still asleep in the backseat, according to WBNS.
The woman was rushed to the hospital but died hours later, WCMH reported.
Stakely was a speech-language pathologist at Winchester Trail Elementary School, according to a news release by Canal Winchester Local Schools.
“Alexa was passionate about children and speech-language therapy,” the school district said in the July 11 release. “She was smart and compassionate, and she cared so much about helping children develop their ability to communicate. She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son. Ms. Stakely made a difference in the lives of the students and families she worked with and will be missed by so many in our community and beyond.”
The school said Stakely’s son is safe and with family.
Police are still searching for the suspect, according to WBNS.
This story was originally published July 11, 2024 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Mom jumps on car hood to rescue sleeping 6-year-old during carjacking, Ohio cops say."
