San Francisco police officers found two missing children early Sunday morning after their father’s minibus was stolen while he was doing a DoorDash delivery in Pacific Heights.
Police said they found the children safely in the vehicle in Bayview around 1:15 a.m. Sunday. Two people were released on Sunday afternoon. The children were examined by medical professionals and returned to their father.
‘We make a personal appeal to the people involved to surrender, because this crime was extremely serious and (theft) a vehicle to take two small babies away from their parents and abandon them – thank you yet our police officers were there until we found the children, ”said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.
Police said Jeffery Fang stopped his silver Honda Odyssey on 2100 Jackson Street while the engine was running while delivering food at 8:47 p.m. His police said he had two young children – a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl – in the vehicle.
“It was panic and fear, and I had to do something to get them back,” Fang said Sunday. “I just had to find them.”
An amber alarm was issued for the provinces of San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Marin and Santa Clara shortly before 11 p.m. Police mobilized all available units, including motorcycle, traffic enforcement and bicycles, to search for the children.
“In the morning, the police told me that they had found the van with the children inside,” Fang said. ‘At that point it was – relief is an understatement – it was excitement. It was like, ‘Oh God! O God! Yes, they live. They are safe. ”
The incident sparked a widespread debate online over whether the wages paid to workers are particularly sustainable during the pandemic.
“Doordash pays workers below the minimum wage. As a result, workers and their families cannot afford childcare. It’s on @doordash, ”said Gig Workers Rising, a community of app and platform workers who have arranged for better wages, working conditions and jobs, in a tweet Sunday.
Fang, who has the only source of income from the gig economy, said he does not earn enough to hire a babysitter to look after his children and that he is also careful that they can get the coronavirus from caretakers opdoen. Typical day care hours are also not in line with the rush hour that produces food, which achieves the highest profit for workers.
With limited options, Fang decides that the best and safest thing is to take his children with him while he works.
“As a worker of a gig economy, the money stops as soon as you stop working, and the pay is already low enough as it is,” Fang said. “You are not obligated to work more than you want to, but to get your money’s worth, there are only certain hours you are good enough to really be there.”
This is a dilemma for many parents of younger children, especially those who are in the gig economy or those who work hours outside the usual 9 to 5, said Mary Ignatius of Parent Voices, a parenting organization that strives for accessible and affordable children. care.
“Parents have to make choices they would not otherwise make if we considered childcare to be fundamental to supporting working families,” Ignatius said. ‘The gig economy gives parents the flexibility to choose their hours and choose their schedule. However, childcare does not match the needs of working parents who are part of this 24/7 economy. ”
According to a DoorDash representative, San Francisco Dashers earned more than $ 39 an hour on average in January.
DoorDash said in a statement that it had posted a warning on its support page and sent a text message to all Dashers in San Francisco notifying them of the incident and asking them to provide all information they had with to share law enforcement. DoorDash said he is working with San Francisco police in the investigation.
“We are incredibly relieved that the children are safe and reunited with their parents,” said Tony Xu, CEO and co-founder of DoorDash, in a statement. “We have been reporting on this stupid and heinous act and are actively working with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.”
Anyone with information about the incident should call the police service’s call line at 415-575-4444 or send a tip to TIP411 and the SMS will start with ‘SFPD’. Callers can remain anonymous.
Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @v_anana