8-Year-Old Boy Drives To McDonald’s With Baby Sister To Get A Cheeseburger In East Palestine, Ohio


An 8-year-old drove to McDonald’s with his 4-year-old sister to get a cheeseburger after watching YouTube videos to learn how to drive. The East Palestine, Ohio, parents of the youngsters were shocked when they received a phone call from the local police station to come pick up their children after they were stopped at the fast food restaurant.

The 8-year-old boy not only drove to the local McDonald’s, but he also pulled safely into the parking lot and then through the drive-thru, placed his order, and ultimately up to the window to receive the meals. The little boy said he stood on his tiptoes to reach his father’s hanging keys before making the late night food run.

The East Palestine parents had no idea their children had left the house. The parents were sleeping when their son drove to McDonald’s with his little sister. The McDonald’s is located approximately half a mile from the boy’s home.

At first, the East Palestine McDonald’s workers thought they were witnessing some type of a prank, believing the parents of the children were surely sitting in the back seat of the vehicle. Soon it became apparent there were no adults in the family van, and an 8-year-old boy had really just driven to get a cheeseburger, Yahoo News reports.

The workers at the Ohio McDonald’s called the police, who quickly arrived on the scene. Once the police officers started questioning the miniature driver, the little boy realized he had done something wrong and began to cry. The 8-year-old said he drove to McDonald’s because he was hungry and was craving a cheeseburger.

The little boy and his 4-year-old sister were not planning on pulling away without paying for their food. The children had pooled their piggy bank savings and felt they had enough to cover the cost of the order.

East Palestine police officers did not file any charges against either the children or the parents. After investigating the matter, the law enforcement officers concluded there was no neglect going on inside the home and the children had indeed eaten three meals that same day.

The sight of an 8-year-old boy driving to McDonald’s sparked a multitude of 911 calls to the East Palestine Police Department. Officer Jacob Koehler said witnesses to the bizarre event in were quick to herald the very young man’s driving skills.

The 8-year-old boy did not do a single bit of damage to his dad’s van, or anyone else’s vehicle, during the extremely illegal drive to McDonald’s for a cheeseburger. The young boy adhered to the speed limit, stopped at red lights, and made sure all incoming traffic had passed by before making the left turn into the parking lot of the Ohio McDonald’s.

The little boy said teaching himself to drive was really quite a simple task, he just got online and watched some videos, Fox News reports.

“I think there is a good teaching point here. With the way technology is anymore kids will learn how to do anything and everything. This kid learned how to drive on YouTube. He probably looked it up for five minutes and then said it was time to go,” Koehler said. “He didn’t hit a single thing on the way there. It was unreal,” the East Palestine police officer said when noting he fully expected to get multiple calls from citizens reporting damage to their vehicles as a result of the 8-year-old driving to McDonald’s.

Before being released into the custody of their parents, the 8-year-old boy and his little sister did get to eat their cheeseburgers.

[Featured Image by Photo smile/Shutterstock]

Share this article: 8-Year-Old Boy Drives To McDonald’s With Baby Sister To Get A Cheeseburger In East Palestine, Ohio
More from Inquisitr