AKM-GSIE! News is happy to report that all is well at the home of Chris Powell, the star of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, after his young son and nanny were the victims of a carjacking.
Powell's wife, Heidi, confirms that alleged gang member Jasper Stewart, 32, carjacked their SUV on Friday in Mesa, Ariz., while 15-month-old Cash and their nanny Kaitlyn McGrath were in it.
"He told Kaitlyn to get out of the car or he was going to kill them," Heidi told E! News this morning. "Luckily, she was able to grab Cash and get out of the car right away."
At the time of the incident, Heidi was just up the block getting her hair done at a friend's home.
According to a law enforcement release questionnaire obtained by E! News, the perp "approached the victim who was sitting in her vehicle with a child...[and] ordered the victim to grab the child and get out of the car or he was going to kill her."
Stewart then drove away with the SUV, which cops found later in an alley several miles away. A suspect description was obtained with the aid of security cameras mounted on the house in front of where he parked.
The suspect, identified as a Nazi Low Riser gang member who has a long criminal history, subsequently fled on foot before he was arrested. When interviewed by detectives, he at first denied wrongdoing, then subsequently admitted to taking the vehicle. The report also noted that there was an indication Stewart is an addict.
Per Chris' missus, officers were also able to track Stewart down through her iPad, which he grabbed before fleeing.
"I feel bad for our nanny because she's shaken up," added Heidi. "She was terrified but she acted fast and beautifully and no one was hurt…and we're grateful for modern-day technology."
The family later reiterated that sentiment in an official statement they put out that read: "We are beyond grateful for the quick, heroic responses of our nanny and the Mesa PD and for modern-day technology that ultimately kept our family safe. Moments like these remind us just how precious life is."
Thankfully Cash is still too young to realize what happened.
—Additional reporting by Sharareh Drury