A seven-month-old baby was found abandoned by the side of a highway in rural Victoria, Australia, after police say a man carjacked the infant's mother when she stopped to help him. The incident, which allegedly began when the woman was flagged down by a man appearing to need assistance, highlights the risks faced by motorists who stop for strangers on remote roads, and has shocked the local community around Swan Hill.

Police allege the 51-year-old man flagged down the 36-year-old woman on the Murray Valley Highway at around 11.10am on Wednesday, before a struggle broke out and he made off with her Holden Commodore, with her baby still inside. A passer-by found the child a short distance away, and mother and baby were reunited and taken to hospital, the woman with minor injuries and the baby unharmed. The abandoned car was later located in bushland roughly 12km away, and the man was arrested hours afterwards, facing charges including carjacking, child stealing and unlawful assault; he has been remanded to appear at Mildura Magistrates' Court on 2 December.