An 8-year-old girl from Bainbridge, Ohio, has gone viral after she took her mom’s care on a daring drive to a local target. The
girl was captured on video driving the vehicle and later found in the store, sipping a frappuccino. Thankfully, she returned home safely. Keep reading to find out more on the turn of events, watch the dashcam footage and discover how people are reacting online.
8-year-old girl manages to drive herself to Target
“Well I’ve finally found a woman who’s in more of a hurry to shop at Target than my wife," the Bedford Police humorously wrote in a Facebook post.. "More of (a) hurry by 8 years. That’s right an 8-year-old took mommy’s car this morning and drove to Target in Bainbridge to shop.”
The police were alerted after the family reported both the 8-year-old girl and her mother’s 2020 white Nissan Rogue missing. A helpful neighbor shared Ring camera footage in which the girl "got into the SUV and drove off" with "no one but herself” around 7:00 a.m.
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Luckily, the girl wasn’t hurt during her drive. However, she did admit to officers that she “struck a mailbox,” according to the police report. The police later confirmed that the vehicle showed signs of damage.
After a 25-minute drive, the Nissan was located in the Target parking lot. Inside the store, the girl was found calmly enjoying her frappuccino. Her family arrived shortly afterward to pick her up and retrieve the car, according to the police report.
“Not sure what she bought, or if she was even able to use her Target app to save 5%,” the police department’s Facebook post humorously concluded. “We did let her finish her Frappuccino. We’re not mean.”
Watch the dashcam video of the girl driving
The video—which has garnered millions of views and reactions—caught by another driver shows the car on the road swerving between lanes as the person recording talks to local police on the phone. As they described the vehicle’s location, the call was transferred to Bedford Heights Police and Fire.
@cbsnews An 8-year-old girl was caught on camera swerving on a road in Ohio, as a driver behind her was on the phone with police and captured her driving toward a Target, where she stopped to shop. Local authorities said she was located and brought home safely. #bedford #ohio #target
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Mixed reactions to the incident
While the girl made it home safely and was fortunate enough not to be harmed while driving, the situation was undeniably dangerous. Though some people found the story amusing, others expressed concern over the seriousness of the event.
“First just hearing the story I was very impressed she made it that far,” one person commented on the TikTok video. “Now seeing how she was driving…an Angel was watching over her and everyone around. She could have hurt so many.”
Some people also took issue with the tone of the police department’s Facebook post, citing concerns that the language didn’t match the potential severity of the situation.
“I’m blown away by the amount of comments blasting this agency for their sarcasm,” one person wrote in their defense. “Gosh people, they did their jobs and made a lighthearted post after the encounter with the child. They didn’t elaborate on the family or the outcome of the situation. The child is okay. I bet they talked to her about the dangers she could have encountered and harm she could have caused. This post is simply stating the type of call this agency handled this day and they chose to inform the public in a lighthearted fashion.”
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Still, many people admitted that they learned to drive much later in life, are still unlicensed or frightened by driving even as adults, adding they can’t imagine being so daring at such a young age.
On the other hand, quite a few people pointed out that many children—especially those raised on farms and in rural areas—do learn to drive regular vehicles and even other heavy machinery around eight years old.
In the end, most people agree that the girl was incredibly fortunate not to harm herself or others during a trip that could have easily had much more serious—or even tragic—consequences.
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