A young brother and sister decided to take their mom's car and go for a joyride in the middle of the night after she took away their electronic devices.

At around 3:50AM on Thursday (September 21), police officers stopped an unidentified 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl as they rode in their mother's sedan on Interstate 75 in Alachua, Florida, NBC News reports.

The two kids were on a three-hour ride north of home in North Port, a city in southwest Florida more than 200 miles away, in the early hours of the morning.

The worried mother - who was also not identified - reported her children missing and filed a report for her stolen vehicle. Due to this deputies conducted a "high-risk traffic stop," the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

When deputies spotted the sedan, they stopped it and ordered the people inside out at gunpoint. Much to their surprise, they saw a 10-year-old boy hop out of the driver's seat and his 11-year-old sister exit the car.

Authorities then discovered that the siblings were reported missing in North Port and that the stolen vehicle belonged to their mother, the post said.

The sheriff's office's social media post included two photographs of the children leaving the automobile with their hands raised. The department covered their faces in the images to hide their identities.

After many Facebook users commented on the post, asking for more details, the department provided an update on September 22, revealing that both children "were upset with their mother because she took away their electronic devices." Police added that the reason the mother confiscated the devices was that the pre-teens were "not using them appropriately".

Furthermore, they disclosed that the pair's mom drove three hours to pick them up and take them home. They are unlikely to face consequences for their actions because their mother did not want to press criminal charges.

However, they could still be criminally charged for driving without a valid license in a stolen vehicle. But as this is a misdemeanor traffic violation, it would not lead to detention in a juvenile facility.

In addition to speaking with the children, Alachua police officers also had a conversation with their mother.

"Our Detectives did speak with their mother at length who was clearly doing her best to raise two young children and she was very receptive to the recommendations they provided in helping her get assistance," the statement concluded.

Featured image credit: Jung Getty / Getty

A seven-year-old boy stayed by his mother's side for 12 hours after she was tragically killed in a car crash.

Authorities say the woman lost control of her Subaru Crosstrek while driving home to Tollhouse from a friend's house.

The vehicle veered off Highway 168 at Qualls Prather Road in Auberry and plummeted down an embankment, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

"Vehicle traveled off the embankment, rolled over multiple times," a first responder reported.

Both the mother and child were ejected from the car.

Tragically, the mother succumbed to her injuries, while the young boy remained by her side attempting to keep warm for approximately 12 hours until he was found.

CHP Officer John Marsh detailed how the boy was discovered: "We got a call of a child walking on the four-lane section of the 168, and the parties who found the child basically walked down to where the crash had happened," cited by ABC6 news.

Loved ones had reported the pair missing when they failed to arrive home after midnight.

By 8:45AM Sunday, a "be on the lookout" alert was issued. The child was spotted just before noon, leading authorities to the crash site.

Officer Marsh revealed the extent of the wreckage, stating: "It was basically sitting in a grove of trees, covered and not visible from the highway."

Investigators believe neither the mother nor her son were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

"He said he was in a car seat that he did not fall out of," a first responder confirmed.

The seven-year-old was transported to Valley Children's Hospital, where he received treatment for multiple injuries, including a broken arm. He has since been reunited with his father.

First responders praised the boy’s resilience, describing him as remarkably strong and in high spirits despite the tragedy.

The crash remains under investigation as authorities await toxicology results to determine whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.

Featured image credit: Douglas Sacha / Getty

A father was subjected to any parent's worst nightmare when he realized his car had been stolen with his two-year-old son still inside.

Australian father, Jake, had left the engine running and his toddler asleep in the back seat of his grey 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan while he quickly ran inside a local shop to buy some ice cream.

It was at that moment that an opportunistic thief hopped inside the car and sped off at around 4:00 PM on Sunday (January 8), with the toddler still fast asleep.

Jake was less than 100 feet away from his son at Just Delicious Gelato when the terrifying ordeal took place and had only left the engine running to keep the air conditioning on for the tot, as the Australian summer had reached temperatures of over 86 degrees.

Acting senior sergeant Grant Lewis was quoted in The Age as saying that the thief was likely unaware that there had been a child in the car, and that the thief's decision to drop him off nearby was probably in order to avoid more serious charges, such as attempted kidnapping.

"[The thief has] stolen that vehicle, driven about 350m through the rear of the Chelsea shops before he's obviously realized there's a child in the vehicle. He's then stopped the car, put the child on the side of the road ... and driven off erratically southbound on Nepean Hwy towards Frankston [...] I prefer that the child be put on the side of the road than remain with an offender driving fast and erratically in the car," Lewis stated. "But that doesn't endorse or absolve him of any responsibility," he added.

The sergeant also told 7 News that, while he doesn't intend to "blame" or "shame" Jake and other parents, they should generally be more aware of the dangers of leaving vehicles unattended.

"It's a serious matter and we don't want to victim shame or victim blame, but clearly in future, we've got to be mindful ... We need to secure our vehicle and keep our kids safe," he explained.

Nine News detailed that, while the child had been found safe and sound, the car had still not been located. Security cameras at a McDonald's recorded several people exiting the vehicle, and police have since managed to arrest two suspects in connection to the theft.

Authorities have released the names of 18-year-old Jonathan O'Connor and 20-year-old Brylee Dickson - who were both apprehended at a shopping center on Tuesday (January 10). Police have revealed that the investigation remains ongoing.

Featured image credit: Sergio Azenha / Alamy

Alarming footage has surfaced online showing the moment a desperate mom clung on to her car after a stranger took off with the woman's two children still inside.

As reported by Fox News, the scary incident occurred earlier this week on July 4 in Hobbs, New Mexico.

The Hobbs Police Department reports that Melody Maldonado, a 33-year-old mom and librarian, briefly left her vehicle after parking the white Hyundai Santa Fe in front of a store. Inside the car were her six-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son.

However, before she could get back into the vehicle, an unknown woman shoved Maldonado and jumped in her car.

In an attempt to stop the carjacker, the desperate mom jumped on the hood of the car, with security footage showing the mom clinging to the hood of the car as it speeds down East Navajo Drive at around 8:30PM.

Sadly, Maldonado's efforts were not enough to stop the woman from getting away.

After police eventually located the car, they found that the suspect had abandoned the six-year-old at an intersection in an apparent attempt to flee the pursuing officers.

The woman was later identified as Regina Castillo.

Castillo reportedly abandoned the car and made another effort to flee from police officers, but was later arrested after being found hiding behind a pickup truck in a nearby residential area.

Castillo was later charged with unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer, two counts of child abuse, and resisting/evading or obstructing an officer.

Additionally, officials learned that she had three active arrest warrants, and was also charged with three counts of failure to appear.

After the children were examined by medics, they were reunited with their mom.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Maldonado opened up about the terrifying ordeal and recalled the moment she jumped onto the car.

"[Castillo] definitely heard me. I yelled for her to stop and that my kids were in the car," the mom said. "She kept driving. We went a good distance, through an intersection, past the Allsup's. She was swerving so that I would fall off."

Maldonado was left with a broken foot after being thrown from the car's hood. But despite the agonizing injury, she managed to sprint to a nearby store and call for help (as her phone was in the car).

"I didn't care what happened to the car. I just wanted my kids back," she said.

Featured image credit: Hobbs Police Department

The five-year-old daughter of the couple who tragically passed after a collision in Western Australia saved her one-year-old brother's life through one simple act.

On Christmas Day, Cindy Braddock, 25, and Jake Day, 28, died after their Land Rover Discovery staggered off Corrigin-Kondinin Road, in Wheatbelt.

The tragedy left the parents' kids - all under the age of five - trapped in the wrecked vehicle for two days in the scorching heat beside their mom and dad's lifeless bodies.

Despite the desperate search efforts, the family was not found until 55 hours later, when close friends of the couple discovered the stranded car with the children inside.

On Wednesday (December 28), the children were at Perth Children’s Hospital in stable condition. Speaking to ABC, Day's cousin, Michael Read, told the outlet of the kids' grueling ordeal.

He said that without the girl's efforts, the infant would not have survived, explaining: "What I've gathered is the five-year-old became unstuck in the vehicle, and she then got the one-year-old out of the car seat, then they were stuck in the car for the 55 hours in 30-degree heat."

"It would have been hard for the three children to be in the car for that whole time. Nobody knows what they went through," he continued.

"And if it wasn't for the five-year-old undoing the buckle of the one-year-old's car seat, he wouldn't be with us today," he said, adding that the children are "doing fine" and should be released from the hospital within the next couple of days.

The deceased dad's stepfather, Richard Parker, also applauded the brave five-year-old's actions to The West and said: "She's a legend, she always has been... she's a strong little girl."

He also revealed that he had also been out searching for the family and was about 10km from the brutal collision scene when the kids were found alive.

"I appreciate the people who were out there helping us look for them. We'll get through it, we've just got to plod along," he told the outlet.

Day's cousin also shared with ABC that the children were "being loved by family, nurses, and doctors" since arriving at the hospital and that the extended family is now taking small steps in deciding what is next for the orphans.

"It is hard, having three kids now growing up with nobody. Apart from other family members." Read said. "We're going bit by bit at the moment."

According to News.com.au, the family was reported missing on Christmas Day when they didn't show up to a family celebration. They had last been seen leaving Northam, a town in Wheatbelt about 100km east of Perth, at 1:00AM on Sunday morning.

They were making the 200km journey home to Kondinin to spend what was left of Christmas with Day's mother before the tragic crash happened only 10km from their property.

A GoFundMe page has now been created to raise money for the couple's funeral, their children's medical bills, and living expenses. The fundraiser has already raised AUD $27,600 of the $50,000 goal.

Our thoughts go out to the children, and other family and friends of this couple.

Featured image credit: Picturesbyrob / Alamy