When you need to make a Target run you need to make a Target run, even when you’re just an 8-year-old girl, and there’s no one around to drive you. That’s just what a girl in Ohio did recently, with only one casualty.
According to police in Bedford, OH, the girl’s parents reported their daughter and their car missing on Sunday. Chicago news outlet WGNTV says there were also reports of a child driving a car on a nearby road. Based on those reports, police found the car parked at a local Target in nearby Bainbridge, OH, and the young girl was shopping inside the store. Bedford police said on Facebook she was drinking a Frappuccino. Because if you have shopping to do, you might as well get yourself a little treat. It’s unclear if she was in the toy section.
According to USA Today, neighbor home security footage showed the girl getting in her family’s Nissan Rogue and driving off by herself at about 7 a.m. that morning. Dashcam footage showed her driving the car to the Target store located about 10 miles from her home.
The driving footage
Once found, her family picked the girl up at Target and retrieved their vehicle. Although some footage showed her weaving in between lanes, incredibly, the little girl made it through the approximately 20-minute drive without hitting another vehicle or injuring anyone. She did, however, hit a mailbox, police said.
In their Facebook post sharing the news, Bedford police took a light touch with what could have been a scary situation. “Well I’ve finally found a woman who’s in more of a hurry to shop at Target than my wife,” their post said. “That’s right an 8-year-old took mommy’s car this morning and drove to Target in Bainbridge to shop. Thankfully she made it and was immediately located by Bainbridge Police,” it added.
But did she get her 5%?
Bedford police added that the girl was home safe, and they were unsure if she bought anything, “or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5%,” the post said. “We did let her finish her Frappuccino. We’re not mean,” the post added. Because of her age, she’ll face no criminal charges over what happened. So far, her family hasn’t publicly commented on the incident. No word yet on what the little girl might do with her 15 minutes of viral fame.
As harrowing as this story is for parents of young children, comments on the Bedford police’s post about the joy ride prove it may not be as uncommon as it might seem.
“This reminds me of when I was 5, when I got bored at my grandma’s house and decided to ‘escape’ in my parents’ car,” one comment said. “On my way out to the car I also decided to take my cousins dog so I wouldn’t be alone I started it, automatically shifted into reverse, rolled down grandmas hill, & crashed right into the back of a neighbors parked car.”
And as dangerous as it was, it was difficult for some not to applaud the girl’s moxy. “I think I want to donate to this gal’s college fund. She’s going places. I get it’s dangerous, but this gal has boss material,” another comment added.
Knowing that the girl was home safe and nothing wrong happened as a result of her impromptu adventure, the majority are pretty impressed with her. After all, even adults who are not pros at driving wouldn’t have managed to make that journey with only a mailbox feeling the consequences of their inexperience.
Published: Sep 20, 2024 04:48 am