YouTube is a place full of entertainment and learning. There are videos that will teach you how to fend for yourself in the wilderness or how to make the most beautiful and delicious meal. Really, the amount of information is nearly endless. And although most of the content can be used for good, not all of it has that distinction. For every positive video, one exists that is going to teach you how to do something illegal. An 11-year-old boy in Ohio is making headlines after he stole a car and led police on a wild goose chase that eventually ended with him crashing into a house. When questioned, he told police he’d learned how to commit the crime from YouTube.
Newburgh Heights police officers were shocked when they got an alert about a stolen car on December 20, 2025, Chief John Majoy told WKYC. When police tried to stop the car, the driver took off, initiating a chase.
“Then they made an abrupt left turn, lost control of the vehicle and smashing the side of a house,” Majoy said.
Inside the house, Daniel Reilly was watching TV when he heard a “big” bang “and a lot of noise,” he told the outlet. Majoy said officers were shocked to see an 11-year-old boy behind the wheel of the car. Also inside were an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old.
“This has got to be a record for the youngest driver in a pursuit that I’ve ever seen,” he said. “11 years old for God’s sake, that’s incredible.”
The boy told police he learned how to steal the car from watching a YouTube video.
Thankfully, minimal damage was done to the house. Reilly hopes the kids will really take the time to think about what they did.
“I don’t know if the kids are old enough to even realize that, you know, [they’re not] just putting their like, their lives in danger, but other innocent people who are just going about their day,” he said, per the outlet. “Life lesson here, that it’s not, you know, it’s not Grand Theft Auto, it’s not a game. It’s real life.”
WEWS obtained bodycam footage from police as officers they caught up with the boys. In the video, officers can be heard telling two boys to get on the ground. About a minute later, the third boy comes running and joins the other two on the ground.
One of the kids can be heard apologizing and asking the officers not to hurt them. “You’re 12 years old … f—ing stealing cars? The hell is wrong with you?” an officer can be heard asking.
None of the children was hurt in the crash, according to police. All three were taken into custody, and their parents came to pick them up. The 8-year-old, the brother of the driver, expressed concern that he would get coal for Christmas.
“I’m not condoning any one of those things, but it’s also equally very saddening to see this happening,” Majoy told WEWS, adding that he found “dozens” of videos on YouTube about stealing cars. “I mean, they should be playing ball, having a snowball fight, riding bikes, doing what kids do. They shouldn’t be stealing cars.”
According to the police chief, the 11-year-old boy faces charges that include fleeing and eluding and receiving stolen property. The 12-year-old is facing a charge of receiving stolen property. Because of his age, the 8-year-old may not be charged.
