Children, 11 and 9, steal parents’ car for early morning joyride: OPP

An 11-year-old and a 9-year-old took their parents’ car out for a joyride early Monday morning and crashed into a cornfield, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.

Shortly before 3 a.m., foot patrol in the west end of Pembroke heard a vehicle doing burnouts nearby, OPP said in a news release.

The vehicle was located by officers on Jean Avenue but when an officer attempted to stop it, the vehicle sped away, police said.

Officers did not pursue the vehicle.

A short time later, police said the car was found in a cornfield at the intersection of Jean Avenue and TV Tower Road. No one was in the vehicle.

OPP called in the Canine Unit and the Emergency Response Team to begin searching for the occupants.

Two children were found by police approximately one hour later, investigators said. No serious injuries were reported but the vehicle sustained damage.

Police said the youths were turned over to their parents, and it was later learned the vehicle had been taken without parental knowledge or consent.

No charges have been laid because the youths are below the age of criminal responsibility, police said.