Two young children are lucky to be alive after a terrifying late-night joyride ended in a violent crash in Flagstaff, Arizona, officials say.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, September 30. Troopers received reports of a car speeding the wrong way down the interstate. A deputy spotted the vehicle as it crossed the median, corrected itself, and then took off eastbound at more than 100 mph.
Authorities later confirmed the car had been reported stolen and had already fled from Flagstaff Police before Highway Patrol caught sight of it.
Moments later, the car drove onto a guardrail, “rode” across it, and flipped repeatedly before smashing into a tree. The impact was so violent that the steering wheel ripped off and was launched about 50 feet from where the vehicle landed.
Inside the wrecked car, police found a 13-year-old behind the wheel and an 11-year-old riding shotgun. Miraculously, both survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
But the crash revealed something even more shocking — troopers say the 13-year-old driver showed “6 out of 6 signs of intoxication.” At the hospital, a blood alcohol test confirmed a staggering BAC of 0.183, more than twice the legal limit for adults in Arizona, which is .08%.
“We’re thankful the kids are okay, but this could’ve ended way worse,” Arizona DPS said in a statement. “Juvenile joyriding and underage drinking are extremely dangerous. Talk to your kids about the dangers of drinking and unlicensed driving.”
The investigation into how the children obtained the stolen car — and the alcohol — is still ongoing.
