An 8-year-old boy drove in the middle of the road in Gastonia, North Carolina, with his mother’s SUV and his 1-year-old infant sibling in the backseat, according to police.
“There were two kids in the car and the car took off. We don’t know if somebody stole it or a kid drove off it in it,” the child’s mother said in a 911 call after she handed the keys to her 8-year-old boy, who drove away with her vehicle on May 31, according to authorities, WSOC Channel 9 reported.
The mother asked the 8-year-old to start a car, but he ended up driving two miles to his home and left again before being stopped by the police after driving several blocks, Gastonia Police spokesman Rick Goodale told Channel 9.
The child drove in the middle of the road to avoid cars and knew how to stop at traffic lights from watching his mom driving, according to Channel 9.
“These roads that he traveled are not backcountry roads with no other cars. These are well-traveled roads in the city of Gastonia,” Goodale said. “This could have ended in tragedy.”
“[Children] are not fully aware of how a vehicle works. They don’t know how to put it in gear. They may run over a sibling. They may run over an adult. They may cause property damage,” Goodale said. “There are so many things that could have gone wrong in this incident and we’re very thankful that nothing did go wrong.”
The police department has referred the case to the Department of Social Services to investigate possible neglect.
