Pregnant Illinois woman run over as she tried to rescue toddler from car thieves

A child safety group says it’s the 41st carjacking this year to involve a vehicle that had a child inside when it was stolen.

A pregnant Illinois woman is recovering in the hospital after she was run over by carjackers who stole her vehicle with her 2-year-old son still inside.

The woman, who is six months pregnant, had just taken one of her children inside after arriving home in the northern Chicago suburb of Libertyville on Thursday. When she went back outside to get her 2-year-old, a white BMW pulled behind her VW Atlas, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The male passenger in the BMW got out and tried to steal the VW as the woman fought to protect her son.

The man attacked the woman, knocking her to the ground and taking the car with her son inside, the sheriff’s office said. As the two men in the cars fled, one of them ran over the woman, inflicting serious injuries.

The 34-year-old woman was able to call 911. Luckily, the men left the toddler in a parking lot, and a person inside a business grabbed him before he could wander into a nearby busy road.

The woman is recovering in serious but stable condition at a local hospital.

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