Mother Of Tulsa Teen Accused Of Stealing, Kidnapping Apologizes To Family

One mother's joy is another's agony, after a Tulsa teenager hijacked a car and took a baby on a terrifying ride. The little boy is safe, while the teen was taken into custody.

The little boy's mother was airing up her tire when a teenager jumped in and sped away, her baby was in the backseat.

It was a happy ending when the two were reunited.

“I was very happy to see him,” said grandmother, Angie Tartsah.

While that reunion brought tears of joy Tartsah's family, the reason behind it brought on a very different emotion for Ross Harjo's mother, Rachel.

“First and foremost, I want to apologize to this family,” she said.

It was another bump in a very long road for Rachel's 17-year-old son, who's accused of stealing a car Wednesday afternoon with a one-year-old boy, Allize, inside.

9/10/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police Arrest Teen In Theft Of Car With Toddler Inside

The baby's mom was airing up a tire, when police said Ross jumped in the driver's seat, and took off. The mother grabbed the car and held on for dear life.

“She said she was hanging on for her baby while he was going,” Angie said.

“If that was any one of my kids, I'd be doing the same thing. I'd be holding on to that car, just like her,” Rachel said. “I do, I feel for her because that should have never happened to her either.”

The boy was dropped off about six miles up the road; little Allize was obviously terrified, but not hurt.

“The Lord was with us. Pray, pray, all I can do,” Angie said.

Prayers are what Harjo's mother is leaning on, too.

Police eventually arrested Ross, and his mother, seeing her son in handcuffs isn't anything new.

“Our property has come up missing. He's stolen my car. He's stolen my mother's car,” she said.

She said her son, who used to be a star soccer player, got mixed up with the wrong crowd, started using drugs and has been in a downward spiral ever since.

“I've tried to get him help, but if he doesn't want it, I can't do nothing about it,” Rachel said.

She's not making excuses for him, she said, in fact, she hopes paying for his actions will buy him a second chance.

“I want my son. Everybody wants that bright light at the end of the road,” Rachel said. “Yeah, he's gonna turn, he's gonna act right.”

Police said Ross denied having anything to do with stealing the car. He was booked into jail for stealing a vehicle, child neglect and kidnapping.