7-Year-Old Busted Behind the Wheel

But the 20-mile trip was no joy ride...
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 22, 2011 10:57 AM CDT
Michigan 7-Year-Old Caught Driving to Father's House, Hit Speeds of 50mph
Mich. Police said they'd seen drivers under 15, but not someone this young.   (Shutterstock)

A 7-year-old Michigan boy barefoot and in pajamas drove a car for 20 miles, sometimes hitting speeds of 50mph, before finally slowing down and stopping with the help of authorities. The boy had hoped to drive to his father's home in northern Michigan, police pulled him over some 15 miles from his destination. Police began looking for the Pontiac Sunfire around 10:15am Monday after someone called about a very young driver. The boy was staying with his mother in a rural area 110 miles north of Detroit. She had worked the night shift and was unaware her son and the car were gone.

"He was crying and just kept saying he wanted to go to his dad's," a police official said. "That was pretty much it. He just wanted to go to his dad's." Authorities were able to box in the Sunfire, and eventually slow him down enough to stop. Police told the Detroit Free Press they’d seen drivers under 15, but not someone this young. "I can just imagine the stop signs and other things he didn't stop for. I'm just assuming a 7-year-old didn't follow the traffic laws," said the official. (More Michigan stories.)

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