Cops: This 8-Year-Old Really, Really Wanted to Go to Target

Police say Ohio girl slipped into family's Nissan Rogue, drove 25 minutes to get to store
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2024 11:00 AM CDT
Cops: This 8-Year-Old Really, Really Wanted to Go to Target
A shopper heads into a Target store on Jan. 11 in Lakewood, Colorado.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowskim File)

An 8-year-old girl who went missing from her Ohio home over the weekend turned up in the most unexpected place: a Target some 25 minutes away, after police say she took her family's car for a joyride. Per Today, cops in Bedford say they were called to a home around 9am Sunday, with the girl's family telling them that she'd last been seen a couple of hours earlier. That's when a neighbor came forward with Ring footage that showed the girl climbing into the family's 2020 Nissan Rogue around 7am and driving away.

Police in nearby Bainbridge soon after spotted the Rogue in a Target parking lot about 11 miles away from the girl's home; they found the joyriding young driver inside the store. According to Google Maps, it would've taken her about 25 minutes to drive there. "She's now home safe," the local police department wrote on Facebook. "Not sure what she bought, or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5%. We did let her finish her Frappuccino. We're not mean."

Some commenters on the post were thankful no one was hurt or killed (and didn't appreciate the police's jokey comments), while others gave a nod to the girl's driving skills. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty impressed," one wrote. "There's some adults that can't manage that drive on their own." Police did say that the girl admitted to hitting a mailbox on her way to Target. Cops say the girl is too young to be hit with criminal charges, though it's not clear if any charges at all will be filed, per the AP. An investigation is ongoing. (More joyride stories.)

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