5 missing children found safe, Niagara police say

Niagara Regional Police say that the five children missing from Jordan, Ont., have been found and are safe.

Their fatherwas at police headquartersWednesdayand has not been charged with anything.

The children were thesubject of an Amber Alert issued late Tuesday afternoon and,asa result, police were told the father had been seen driving a red Toyota Camry in the region.

Police said that around 1 p.m. ETon Wednesday, detectives from the child abuse unit were able to track the car down andbegan surveillance at a residencein Ridgeway, Ont.,nearFort Erie.where the vehicle wasparked.

Officers say they located and stopped the father and a 22-year-old woman around the Crystal Beach area.Police then found the missing children in a nearby rental cottage.

Police say the children appear to be in good health and are being cared for, butwill receive medical assessments.

The investigation remains ongoing.

In a video posted to Twitter, policethanked members of the public in Niagara and across the province for being vigilant.

"The information that led us to that Camry is directly related to the Amber Alert," said Const. Phil Gavin. "It's important to note that the system did work and it's brought a peaceful resolution to the situation"

Investigatorsalleged that the children were taken from their home in Jordan, a community in the Niagara region,sometime between Sept. 19 and 25.

The children were under a temporary custody order "through the courts," according to police.

The Amber Alert was cancelled after it reached its five-hour expiry period.

CBC reporter Ellen Mauro spoke with the father atNiagara police headquarters,who said that the whole situation was "blown out of proportion" and that the children were on vacation with family.