Children found safe after Amber Alert

Manchester, Conn - Police have canceled an Amber Alert after finding two children who were allegedly abducted by their mother from their Manchester home early Tuesday.

Police say 36-year-old Carmen Montenez kicked in the door of a home on Huntington Street around 1:30am and abducted her two children, ages 10 and 6. There is a protective order against her.

Laurie Hardie is the landlord at the apartments and lives next door. She heard all the commotion.

"Well, there's always problems next door in one way or another so it didn't really surprise me. But then I heard her screaming out her daughter's name," she said.

With the children still in their pajamas, Montenez sped away in her Dodge Caravan.

"The wife had, the other day, made a comment that made us question her mental health," explained Capt. Jim Neiswanger, Manchester Police Department.

An off-duty state trooper spotted the van on Route 6 in Hampton. He followed Montenez as police spoke with her on her cell phone.

"She had issues that they discussed on the cell phone, I can't get into that with you, but the idea was we were trying to get her to come in and give herself up," Capt. Neiswanger said.

Not wanting to put the children in danger, officers followed Montenez at a safe distance and when she stopped at Route 87 police were able to box her in and grab the kids.

Montenez is facing a variety of charges including risk of injury to minor. She is being held on a $250,000 bond.