Car thieves steal ute in Ballarat with young boy still inside

Two thieves are on the run after mistakenly kidnapping a young Victorian boy during a car robbery.

Dave Gleeson was delivering a window to Vickers Street in the Ballarat suburb of Sebastopol yesterday when his ute was stolen.

The father had left his keys in the ignition and his three-year-old son in the backseat.

Within just a few minutes, two people had climbed into the car and driven away.

The vehicle was found 20 minutes later, dumped less than two kilometres away on Parkgate Lane.

"I was literally gone for a couple of minutes, I was in shock and said ‘where's my car?'," Mr Gleeson said.

"20 minutes – it felt like three hours."

Police described the offenders as opportunistic, but the relieved dad said he has learned his lesson.

"You cannot leave kids or keys in the car," Mr Gleeson warned.

"It will happen."

Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.