13-Year-Old Takes Off in Dad's Car

A 13-year-old Delaware boy took off on a joyride in his dad's SUV this morning and ended up first in a ditch and then in the hospital.

"No one was home at the time, and he just decided to go for a ride," said Master Corporal Gary Fournier with the Delaware State Police.

The teen got behind the wheel of his father's Toyota 4Runner shortly after 7 a.m. and drove along Bloomfield Drive near Harrington, Kent County.

The SUV knocked out a telephone pole when it veered into a ditch. Once he got back onto the road, the teen was able to stop the vehicle, according to police.

Another driver who witnessed the accident stopped and kept the teen company until police and emergency crews arrived.

"He was walking around, talking to the witness and seemed to be in good spirits," Fournier said.

The teen was taken to the hospital, where he's being treated for minor injuries. He was cited for careless driving, failure to stay in a single lane, no insurance, no registration and driving without a valid license.

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