An 8-year-old boy drove to McDonald's in East Palestine, Ohio, with his 4-year-old sister in his dad's van, and the joyride was apparently motivated by their hunger for a cheeseburger.
The little boy’s dad went to bed early Sunday after a long day and his mom fell asleep on the couch, but that didn’t stop the boy from taking the keys to run a quick errand, according to WJW Fox 8 Cleveland.
The boy, who said he learned how to drive by watching YouTube videos, reportedly drove through four intersections and over railroad tracks on his way to McDonald’s.
The boy pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot before 8 p.m. and drove straight for the drive-thru, WFMJ.com reported.
“The workers thought that the parents were in the back, but obviously they weren’t,” East Palestine patrolman Jacob Koehler said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
He might only be 8 years old, but those YouTube videos have obviously taught him something, considering witnesses told police that the boy obeyed all traffic laws and drove the speed limit.
“He didn’t hit a single thing on the way there. It was unreal,” Koehler said, according to the Morning Journal.
The boy and his sister ran were seen by a family friend while they were at the McDonald’s. The friend called the children’s grandparents, and they finished their cheeseburgers at the fast-food restaurant before police arrived at the scene.
Although no charges have been filed in the matter, an investigation is taking place.
“I think there is a good teaching point here. With the way technology is any more kids will learn how to do anything and everything,” Koehler said, according to the Morning Journal. “This kid learned how to drive on YouTube. He probably looked it up for five minutes and then said it was time to go.”
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