#NYC man lied about special-needs child in stolen car so cops would find it faster

A Queens man allegedly hatched a story about his stolen Ford Mustang — falsely claiming a 7-year-old with special needs was in the back so the hot rod would be “found quicker,” a police source said Monday.

James Reyes, 33, is charged with filing a false report after claiming the kid was inside the Mustang when it was swiped around 6 p.m. Sunday from 202nd Street and 104th Avenue in Hollis, cops said.

Reyes even claimed the child had Down syndrome, a police source said.

The car was found — empty — a few hours later and Reyes changed his story, confessing to lying, sources said.

“He said he wanted his car to be found quicker,” the source said.

A 17-year-old who was accused of stealing the Mustang was briefly taken into custody around 10:30 p.m., but he was released to his parents, according to police. He was not charged.

It wasn’t clear why the teen was set free, but it could have been because the man who reported the crime was found to be unreliable, a police source said.

Reyes received a desk appearance ticket and a court date of Nov. 21.