Police said a father dropping his children off at a day care in Green Township, found a thief sitting in the front seat of his car.

Seconds later, the teen was dragging the man across a parking lot as the man held on to the car.

The 16-year-old suspect was soon arrested and taken to jail.

This all happened bright and early as parents were dropping their children off at day care.

“You wouldn’t think somebody would rob you in front of a daycare in broad daylight,” parent Nicco Lee said.

Lee learned a valuable lesson outside the School of Creative Children on North Bend Road.

While dropping off his 8-month-old, 1-year-old and 3-year-old before work last week, he left his car running.

He said in about 2 minutes, a teen was in the driver’s seat and he jumped outside to stop him.

“I put my arm on the window because my window was still rolled down and he started driving off,” Lee said.

Green Township police said Lee was dragged through the parking lot.

He said he clung to the car and fought to get it back.

Lee won and the teen ran off.

Day care owner Kim Sipe believes the 16-year-old suspect thought he was dealing with a mother who wouldn’t go after him.

She said he picked the wrong parent.

“Thank God the kids were not in the car. Thank God. It could have been way worse,” Sipe said.

Lee said he chased the 16-year-old through a nearby Kroger parking lot, and he got some help from firefighters nearby.

The teen was eventually caught.

Sipe said there’s a lesson for every parent after this incident.

She said they should always turn off their cars and lock up every time they leave their vehicle.

That’s a lesson Lee now takes to heart.

“Anything could have happened with them and I wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to them,” Lee said.

Sipe owns two day care locations and said in more than 15 years she’s never seen anything like this situation.

The teen is charged with aggravated robbery.

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