NEW YORK – Two New York City children who allegedly escaped in a parent’s Range Rover truck on a 130-mile drive were trying to get to their grandfather’s home in Florida, law enforcement sources said.
The cousins, ages 12 and 7, were reported missing Monday morning from their homes in Ozone Park. But they were found safe a few hours later, along the New Jersey-Delaware border, after one of them tried to use a family credit card at a rest stop.
Police say the 12-year-old was behind the wheel; he allegedly picked up his cousin and then drove through Staten Island to New Jersey. They took the NJ Turnpike to Delaware, where they were stopped after one of them tried to use his parents’ credit card at a rest area.
Delaware police said the children had crossed a bridge and a toll plaza before being detained.
Now they have returned home safely, and the white Range Rover they took was seen outside the 12-year-old’s home. But neither family responded when our sister network NBC 4 New York knocked on their doors Tuesday afternoon.
Neighbors, like social media users who commented on the story Monday, were baffled that the kids got this far. Khuram Shahzad said that he had never seen any boy behind the wheel of a car before, and that the 12-year-old was just over 5 feet tall.
“He’s actually a good boy,” she said, adding “we just thank God that they have returned safely.”
The investigation continues. There was no news of any charges.
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