3-year-old Salinas girl found safe; Amber Alert canceled

The girl was in a light gold 2002 Honda Odyssey, with a California License plate of 5NEM296 when someone stole the auto from Salinas at 5:45 a.m. Thursday.

An Amber Alert was issued and law enforcement agencies across Monterey County began assisting Salinas police in the search.

An Amber Alert that was issued for this morning for Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Fresno, Kings, and San Luis Obispo Counties has been canceled.

Her mother stepped back outside to find someone had stolen the vehicle with Jacky inside, according to police. Numerous tips began pouring in from the public, police said.

Around 8 a.m., a resident of an apartment complex in the 900 block of Heather Circle noticed the van and alerted a maintenance worker.

The girl was unharmed and was reunited with her family, police said. Crime scene investigators are processing the van for evidence and searching for a suspect.

“The Salinas Police Department wishes to express their honest gratitude to the citizens that called, the agencies that assisted and the media for their quick response”, Salinas police noted in a release.