Two toddlers, 5 and 2 years old, hit the road on Monday, taking their mother's car to go on a 3-mile joy ride, according to news reports.
The eldest brother was behind the wheel, with the 2-year-old his passenger, as they headed down country roads in Putnam County, West Virginia, deputies told WSAZ.
According to KSTU, the 5-year-old knew his mother kept an extra set of keys under the mat in her car, and the boys wanted to visit animals on their grandfather's farm seven miles away.
The boys made it nearly halfway to their destination before driving off the road down an embankment, Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese said. Homeowners in the area saw the crash and called police, KSTU reported.
Deweese told WSAZ authorities found the boys’ mother about an hour after they crashed. She told them she thought the boys were playing in their front yard. She hadn’t known they were missing, KSTU reported.
The children were taken to a hospital and released without injuries.
“I’m so glad that the kids didn’t get seriously injured, and hopefully, the mother will do her parental duties and watch her children,” Deweese said.
So far, no charges have been filed, but the owner of the apartment complex where the family lives is kicking them out.
“I have families that live here,” Sharlene Wiseman told WSAZ. “We have other tenants. Our children play out here. They're not expecting anything like a runaway car coming by.”
