8-year-old drives car with two young passengers on Twin Cities freeways

The 8-year-old boy likely could barely reach the car's pedals or see over the steering wheel. But he climbed into a car early Tuesday morning along with a 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy and drove down St. Paul streets and onto high-speed highways, then headed north before the State Patrol caught up with him.

"It's hard for me to picture how an 8-year-old could operate a vehicle, get it out of gear, know the pedals, steer and see," said State Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Tiffani Nielson. "It's kind of unbelievable that it even happened."

Fortunately, none of the kids or anyone else on the roads were injured, she said. The 8-year-old and his two little passengers were not wearing seat belts, she said.

The State Patrol began receiving calls at 5:56 a.m. about a northbound car on Interstate 35E that was swerving, Nielson said. At least a half-dozen motorists called in similar reports about the erratic driver just before the start of the morning rush hour. Eventually one caller, who got alongside the vehicle, reported that it was a child behind the wheel.

"That's a very unusual call," Nielson said.

While troopers were en route, one caller followed the children along a 10-mile route that took them north on I-35E, west on Hwy. 36, and north on I-35W to County Road 10, where the car ended up in Mounds View. As it pulled into a homeowner's driveway at 6:20 a.m., a State Patrol trooper pulled in behind.

The trooper talked to the children about where they were going and what they were doing but the information wasn't made public because they're minors, Nielson said.

The two younger children are siblings and all three are in foster care in a home in St. Paul. The car belongs to the foster family, Nielson said.

Nielson said Ramsey County social service workers are investigating the incident and couldn't comment on whether the children are still in the home.

"It's important to recognize that people saw something strange and were willing to call, and at least one followed and reported locations," Nielson said. "And fortunately the driver didn't crash."

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788