Little girl found abandoned in alley near Union Station after apparently being dropped off from stolen SUV

<strong>CHICAGO (CBS)</strong> — A sport-utility vehicle was stolen in the with a child inside Wednesday night, and the little girl was abandoned in an alley near Union Station.

As CBS 2’s Jermont Terry reported, the girl – believed to be 3 years old – was reunited with her parents at Lurie Children’s Hospital late Wednesday. You can only imagine how scary the ride with strangers must have been for the child, who was inside the car when it was stolen at Roosevelt Road and Clinton Street.

CBS 2 was there when Chicago Police officers carried the crying child away – wrapped in a white blanket.

The investigation shows someone found the child wandering in an alley near Jackson Boulevard and Clinton Street. It is believed whoever stole the car dropped her off – leaving her alone in the dark alley.

The stranger who found the child brought her to a lobby of an apartment complex – where police and fire crews took her to the hospital.

Police later found the SUV abandoned at 44th Street and Shields Avenue in Fuller Park.

It preliminarily appears the SUV was stolen when it was left running with the child inside and the thieves jumped in – only quickly to notice the girl was in the vehicle.

It was not clear late Wednesday how long the girl was alone in the car with the thieves.