Brazen boy, 12, 'used baby booster seat for wild city joyride in stolen car'

02 November 2023 , 23:48

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Police found the youngster behind the wheel after the vehicle crashed and both air bags exploded (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A 12-year-old boy needed a baby booster seat for his joyride in a stolen car, police say.

The youngster reportedly took a wild joyride across three boroughs in a Hyundai SUV stolen on Staten Island. However, the pint-sized car thief reportedly needed a booster seat to see over the dashboard of the stolen vehicle. Police say he began his four-wheeled adventure on Monday night after getting behind the wheel next to a 16-year-old girlfriend.

After speeding over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, he then took the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, New York, police said. On Tuesday at around 11am, an NYPD patrol picked up the stolen car and tried to pull the driver over at Canal and Allen streets near Chinatown — but he took off, hitting several vehicles near Houston and Allen Streets.

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The car then again at Ridge and Stanton Streets on the Lower East Side, where the juvenile was taken into custody. Images of the crash site show a car seat installed behind the wheel of the wrecked silver Hyundai.

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Police found the driver to be a 12-year-old boy with a female passenger, aged 16 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The mini menace and his friend were charged with criminal possession of the stolen property, reckless endangerment and unauthorised use of a vehicle without the owner’s consent. Both will face charges as juveniles in Family Court.

A frustrated cop told The New York Post: "At the rate the legislature is going it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the City Council requires drivers to supply the booster seats in the event someone decides to steal their car.

Another added: "The lackadaisical enforcement of and adherence to our laws has now trickled down to our schools, where children now think they can do whatever they want with no consequences. [Elected officials] have established a permission structure for kids to commit serious crimes that could potentially lead to the death of others.

But God forbid we do car stops anymore,” the source added sarcastically, “This innocent youth may have to be subject to the criminal justice system."

Abigail O'Leary