An 8-year-old with a craving for a cheeseburger hopped in his dad’s van, along with his 4-year-old sister and drove to McDonald’s.
The boy’s father went to bed on Sunday night, while the mother fell asleep with the kids on the couch. At some point, the boy and girl woke up and headed out in the van, as witnesses saw the boy driving and called police, reports WFMJ in Cleveland.
Witnesses also said that the boy, who drove about a mile, obeyed traffic laws along the route which included intersections and railroad tracks.
When the van arrived at the restaurant, workers thought it was a prank.
“The workers thought that the parents were in the back, but obviously they weren’t,” East Palestine patrolman Jacob Koehler told Cleveland.com.
Koehler tells the Morning Journal he was impressed by the boy’s driving ability, saying he feared getting reports of damaged mailboxes or other problems.
The kids were able to get a cheeseburger, chicken nuggets and fries at McDonald’s while they waited for their parents to pick them up. Police say the boy told them he learned to drive by watching YouTube videos.
There were no charges filed.
