Family's cell phones lead to north Houston carjacking suspect

Thursday, December 26, 2019
Family forced out of truck at knife point in Christmas day carjacking
It was a common device that helped the family locate their truck after they were forced out at knifepoint, authorities said.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A family's pickup truck may have been gone forever after a Christmas Day carjacking, had it not been for modern technology.

It happened at a gas station on the North Loop at T.C. Jester when a family of four pulled in to get fuel. The father went inside to pay, as the mother and their two daughters waited in the truck, police said.

WATCH: Carjacking victim talks about Christmas ordeal in north Houston

A Houston mother saved her two young daughters and herself from a carjacker on Christmas.

That's when someone approached the mother with a knife and forced her out of the vehicle. The daughters, ages six and eight, jumped out and ran away before the suspect took off.

While the truck and knife-wielding suspect were gone, the family's cell phones were still in the truck. The father was able to track the vehicle to downtown Houston, where officers found the truck along with two people inside, police said.

The driver claimed he borrowed the truck from someone. Investigators were still trying to determine if his claim is true.

Follow Deborah Wrigley on Facebook and Twitter.

Follow Katherine Marchand on Facebook and Twitter.