8-year-old girl takes out mailbox as she successfully drives herself to Target, police say

BEDFORD, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) - An 8-year-old girl drove herself 24 minutes from her home to a Target store, according to police.

The Bedford Police Department said officers were dispatched around 9 a.m. to a home on Greencroft Road to take a report of a missing child and missing vehicle.

Officers requested a “Be on the lookout” notification with the description of both the young girl and the SUV.

Next-door neighbors provided the family members and officers with Ring doorbell camera footage showing the girl entering the car and driving off by herself around the same time the family reported seeing her last.

Authorities later advised they had received a call about a small child traveling east on Rockside Road in a vehicle matching the description of the missing SUV.

Officers said they were unable to locate the girl or car at that time. However, Flock cameras found the SUV traveling East on Pettibone Road.

The responding departments said officers found the vehicle at a Target in Bainbridge.

Officers found the girl inside the store and notified her family.

Her family then came to the store and picked her up.

The young girl also told officers she hit a mailbox during her travels, according to a release.

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