A dopey Staten Island dad whose young son wandered out the door of the family’s home told cops the boy had been kidnapped — so he wouldn’t be blamed for the missing child, authorities said Monday.
Terry Liaros, 46, of Tottenville called police in a panic around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, telling them that he had just returned from the grocery store when a thief stole his idling SUV with the boy inside, cops said.
Liaros said his Toyota 4-Runner had been in the driveway as he and his two older sons were bringing packages into their Craig Avenue home when it was swiped, police said.
Officers quickly began scouring the neighborhood in search of Liaros’ “stolen” SUV. They found the empty vehicle, with its engine running, near the corner of Hecker and Lenhart streets about 15 minutes later.
Meanwhile, the boy was found a few blocks away on Hecker Street after a resident noticed him wandering around alone in the dark and cold and called police, cops said.
Liaros’ tall tale unraveled after police found surveillance video showing him frantically driving around the neighborhood in an apparent effort to find the boy about an hour before reporting the “heist.”
Liaros eventually gave up and decided to leave the SUV unattended to make it look like the “thief” ditched the car after finding the kid inside, sources said.
When cops questioned the dad, Liaros confessed that he invented the story out of desperation.
“I’m sorry, I f–ked up,’’ Liaros told investigators, according to sources. “I don’t need to make excuses for losing my kid.”
He was arrested and charged with filing a false report, cops said.
Reached at his home after his arraignment Monday in Staten Island criminal Court, Liaros only said, “The kid is OK.’’
His wife, the boy’s mother, declined comment.