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Alleged Abductor Arrested, 2-Year-Old Found Unharmed

REEDSVILLE, W.Va. (KDKA) – The suspect accused of abducting a little girl, stealing at least two vehicles and leading police on a lengthy chase is now behind bars at the Allegheny County Jail.

Timothy White, 23, is expected to be arraigned sometime overnight. There's no word yet on the specific charges he is facing in connection with the incident.

He suffered a badly bruised face. Police say he resisted arrest. He was taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital before being taken to the state police barracks in Moon Township for questioning.

The little girl who was in the car when the vehicle was stolen has now been reunited with her mother.

Authorities say the child was in a Toyota when it was stolen from outside of a gas station in Preston County, W. Va. The suspect drove north, but the vehicle ended up breaking down.

Police say PennDOT workers found it parked near the Lonepine Shed along State Route 79 North.

The suspect and little girl then started walking along the highway when a local resident offered them a ride.

"I saw a gentleman walking with a kid. I felt bad for the kid, something didn't seem right. So, I asked them to get in my van. Well, not really ask him to get in; he just opened the door and got in," said Jim Weid, the man who picked the two up. "Told him it's too cold out for a kid, and then I just started talking to him. Just kept talking to him asking him where's he's from, what's up, what's the matter. He just seemed out of it. Brought him home and he got out of my van, left the kid in my van and took off over across the road and stole a van."

That's where police picked up the child.

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Photo Credit: KDKA

But the suspect continued on in the stolen Atlantic Broadband van, leading police from Washington County to Baldwin along Route 51.

State police found tracked it to Toll Road 43 northbound and tried to pull it over, but the suspect fled.

It all came to an end in the parking lot of a real estate company just south of the Century III Mall.

The man was then arrested without incident. He was taken to Jefferson Hospital for evaluation.

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(Photo Credit: NewsChopper 2/KDKA)

A number of police departments were involved in the situation including police from W. Va., Washington County and Pennsylvania State Police.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged vehicle theft and abduction in W. Va. remain unclear at this time.

Anyone with information on the case is being asked to contact state police at 412-787-2000.

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