A Merritt mother is urging parents to never leave your kids in the car alone after she watched her car get hijacked while her two children were sitting in the back seat.

Speaking on The Mike Smyth Show, Renee Barron says her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter were at home sick on Friday when she took them into town to drop something off at Central elementary school.

“As I was pulling into the parking lot, I noticed the strange woman to the right of me, she looked frantic. Maybe she was looking for somebody, I didn’t think anything of it.”

Barron says she continued to drive towards the office, parked, and quickly ran inside, ensuring she could see her car with the two kids in the back.

“I just peeked in through the office to see what was happening because there was someone else in there and then I looked back out the window and my car was being driven off with my kids in the car.”

She says everything happened so fast.

“I didn’t even get a chance to tell the school that I noticed somebody in the parking lot strange because they then jumped in my car and took my car.”

Barron explains that she ran towards her vehicle to see it was going to stop and immediately called the police.

Mounties in Merritt were able to locate the vehicle a few minutes later, with the two kids safe and sound.

RELATED: Two Merritt kids safe after sitting in vehicle during auto theft

Barron suggests it took roughly 10 minutes for police to catch the suspect with her vehicle and kids, and while noting it was quick, she says it was the longest 10 minutes of her life.

“One (of my children) was in a car seat, she couldn’t even unbuckle herself because she’s in a five-point harness still. My other child is six so he could get out but he knew it wasn’t me because when the person got into my vehicle, he asked if it was me and the lady didn’t answer, so he knew something was wrong.”

While Barron says her two children are doing much better, she suggests it’s something they will never forget.

“My four-year-old still talks about it and tells everybody that she got kidnapped and my six-year-old doesn’t seem to care, but everybody’s doing well; we’re grateful that it had a good outcome.”

Barron claims the suspicious-looking woman she saw in the parking lot earlier was the woman who stole her vehicle with her kids in it.

She is sharing her situation in hopes of creating awareness around the importance to all parents of never leaving their vehicle unattended if their kids are inside.

“You don’t think at your child’s school this is going to happen, it is a place where you pretty much know everybody. I would have never expected this, but it’s something that I’m never going to do again – not even in my own driveway.”

Renee Barron was speaking on the Mike Smyth show on RadioNL on Tuesday, December 13.