An 8-Year-Old German Boy Allegedly Took His Parents’ Car On An 87-MPH Joy Ride

An 8-year-old German boy allegedly stole his parents’ car and took it for a joy ride, hitting speeds of up to 87 miles per hour, BBC News reports.

At about 12:25 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning, the lad’s mom called police to say that their 8-year-old son had stolen the family’s VW Golf from their home in the western German town of Soest. The mom also noted that the boy knew his way around a motorized vehicle, as he had driven cars on private property before. He also drove bumper cars and go-karts.

About an hour or so later, the boy’s mother caught up to him. He was on the A-44 motorway – roughly equivalent in size and scope to an American interstate highway. He was in the westbound lanes and apparently headed toward Dortmund, about 30 miles away.

His mom says that he decided to pull off the road and into a rest area because he felt “unwell” after traveling about five miles, having reached speeds of up to 87 miles per hour. He turned on the car’s hazard lights and put a reflective triangle on the back for his safety, according to Spiegel.

Eventually, police showed up, and the now-contrite boy reportedly said, “I just wanted to drive a little” before bursting into tears.

Fortunately, no individuals or property were damaged in the incident. Meanwhile, police are still trying to decide if there will be criminal charges for the boy’s mother.

The Soest police, while not discounting the seriousness of the situation, did manage to have a laugh about it on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/polizei.nrw.so/posts/2940695556005894:0

Visitors to the Soest police’s Facebook page are having a laugh about it as well, as Newsweek reports.

One user, for example, jokingly wrote that every father should have a son like this and that the boy will someday be a Formula One driver.

Joking aside, a child behind the wheel of a car is never a good thing, and it can end in tragedy.

Last weekend, as reported by The Inquisitr, a Texas man allegedly took his 12-year-old daughter for driving lessons. Rather than choose an empty parking lot or a rural road, they allegedly instead chose a busy El Paso apartment complex. The young lady allegedly confused the gas pedal for the brake pedal, and the vehicle she was driving reportedly struck and killed a man out for a walk with his dog, who also died. The girl’s father was charged with criminally negligent homicide and endangering a child.