Robert Deane went out of his house to pick up some packages when he noticed two car seats in a ditch. As he investigated, he found two little girls who had been abducted in a stolen vehicle early Monday morning.

The girls were found in their car seats, which had been abandoned in subfreezing temperatures in southeast Indianapolis, nearly 4 miles from where the vehicle they were in was reported stolen.

“I would do it again,” Deane said. “If you see something, like a baby in a ditch, say something (and) do something.”

It is unclear how long they were outside in the 27 degree weather.

“It’s cold out here,” said Indianapolis police spokesman William Young. “Who knows what could have happened if that particular person had not been able to get outside. It is extremely cold and we are still in the early stages of figuring out who is responsible.”

Shortly before 11 a.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to East Gimber Street on the city’s south side for a report of a stolen 2013 Hyundai Sonata with four-month-old and five-month-old babies inside. Shortly thereafter, an officer located the vehicle, around the same time a call came in from a man saying he found two small children outside in those car seats.

Police did not provide information about how the vehicle was stolen or whether the babies were left unattended in the vehicle before the abduction.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police confirmed just before noon that the two babies had been found and were safe.

“He did what any good person would do,” Young said. “He took these toddlers to a shelter. That’s a result we wanted. I can’t thank this good Samaritan enough. We do not have a suspect in custody, but our next priority will be to find out who is responsible for this particular incident.”

Indianapolis police are investigating the vehicle and are asking witnesses to come forward in connection with this kidnapping.

No information about a suspect has been released.

Second child abduction in the last two weeks

This is the second time in the last two weeks that a child has been abducted due to a stolen vehicle.

On Nov. 20, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police issued an alert that a young boy was in a black 2014 Chevy Equinox that was stolen just before 7 p.m. that evening.

“Just two weeks ago on our north side, there may have been someone warming up a vehicle and there was a child inside,” Young said. “We were also able to locate this vehicle and I’m not saying that was the case in this particular incident, but it’s not a good idea to let the car warm up at the start of our winter months, especially when…” You have your inner child.

Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network. You can email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, officially Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Man finds missing Indianapolis babies while collecting packages