COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two 13-year-old boys stole a parent’s car in Ohio and drove it hundreds of miles to Kansas City, Mo., where they were found sleeping in it in a downtown alley Monday, police said.
The runaways, from the Columbus area, were taken into custody by officers investigating a suspicious vehicle that matched the description of the BMW taken early Saturday from the mother of one of the boys, Kansas City police said.
Police had known the boys might pass through the area because of information posted to Facebook, Capt. Steve Young said.
“They were fine, fortunately,” Young said. “I think there are definitely a whole lot of things that could have gone wrong for them, and having the police find them probably would be one of the better outcomes.”
Catherine Johnson said her son Cole had wanted to go to California and that she thought that’s where he and Raheem Harris were headed. Johnson said she was surprised that the boys took off in her vehicle — for a trip that likely amounted to more than 650 miles — but was relieved to learn they were safe.
