Dad charged with filing a false report that 6-month-old son was kidnapped bonds out of jail

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A father accused of lying to police when he said someone stole his Jeep Cherokee with his 6-month-old baby inside has bonded out of jail.

Houston police said 38-year-old Anthony Ray Gray told officers his baby was inside the vehicle to get officers to respond faster.

Surveillance video obtained by ABC13 from a gas station on Imperial Valley Drive shows a red Kia drive up next to Gray's Jeep.

Two men then got out of the Kia and jumped into the Jeep and drove off, the video shows.

READ MORE: Investigators say dad faked baby kidnapping story to get more attention on his stolen car

His story was an urgent one: a father's baby goes missing when his vehicle is stolen. It launched a large response, but deputies were able to unravel what they're calling a fabricated story by a man who simply lost his car.

That's when Gray called 911, telling police his baby was inside the Jeep.

A massive search ensued, but authorities discovered that the baby was at a home half a mile away with his grandmother the whole time and was never inside the stolen vehicle to begin with.

Gray is charged with filing a false report to a peace officer, a misdemeanor charge. He was out on bond for DWI at the time of his arrest, records show.

At around 7 a.m. Thursday, deputies said they found the stolen Jeep Cherokee three miles away from the gas station at a house in the 16400 block of Eton Brook Lane.

However, surveillance video from the neighborhood shows only one individual getting out of the Jeep.

Officials said there are 30 minutes unaccounted for, so authorities believe one of the suspects might have been dropped off along the way.

The neighbors who found and reported the stolen Jeep said they were waking up when they noticed the car parked, partially blocking their driveway.