Supported by
A Trip to Target Caused a Stir. Because the Driver Was 8.
A missing girl and reports of an erratic driver turned out to be related, with police officers in Ohio finding the girl safe, and enjoying a drink.
transcript
Dash Cam Footage Shows an 8-Year-Old Driving to Target
The police in Bedford, Ohio, later found the girl inside the store, and her family was summoned to pick her up, according to the police report.
“I’m going to talk first [inaudible] you can give them more information as you get it. O.K.?” “O.K.” “Bedford Heights Police and Fire.” “This is Brian with a transfer for an erratic driver. It’s eastbound Rockside from Bartlett. It’s going to be a white Nissan Rogue all over the road, but caller with eyes on it.”
Target is a popular destination for shoppers of all ages. Apparently, the allure is so strong that it can be worth stealing your mom’s car for.
At least, that was the case for an 8-year-old girl in Bedford, Ohio, who was reported to be safe after she took her family’s car on a joyride to Target on Sunday, setting off alarms in her neighborhood and nearby towns. She was found nearly two hours after leaving her home, but not before she was able to get herself a drink from Starbucks, according to the Bedford Police Department.
It is unclear how the young child knew how to navigate her way to Target — or operate a motor vehicle. On Tuesday, as news of the incident began to spread, her mother declined a request for comment.
The event played out on Sunday, when officers responded to an emergency call minutes before 9 a.m. in which a mother reported that her 8-year-old daughter had gone missing, as had a 2020 Nissan Rogue. The police report noted that the child had last been seen by her family around 7 a.m.
The police said that the family’s next-door neighbor had provided officers Ring camera footage of the girl getting inside the midsize S.U.V. and driving off alone.
The Bedford Police Department reported that it had received additional calls about a vehicle matching the description of the Nissan Rogue before officers in the nearby town of Bainbridge located the car in a Target parking lot. The police then found the girl inside the store, and her family was summoned to pick her up, according to the report. She acknowledged to police officers that she struck a mailbox during her drive to Target.
Advertisement