CLEVELAND — An 8-year-old Bedford girl was found safe Sunday morning after police say she drove herself to a Target store in Bainbridge.
According to an incident report from the Bedford Police Department, the girl's family called police at about 7 a.m. Sunday to report the 8-year-old missing along with a 2020 Nissan Rogue. A next-door neighbor on Greencroft Road provided police security camera footage that appeared to show the 8-year-old enter the SUV and drive away "with no one but herself," according to the report."
Police in Bedford Heights reported that they had received a call about a small child driving east on Rockside Road in a car that matched the Nissan's description, but those officers weren't able to locate the car, the report stated. Flock cameras caught the SUV driving east on Pettibone Road.
Eventually, officers on scene were alerted that police had spotted the Nissan in the parking lot of a Target store in Bainbridge. Bainbridge police officers went inside the store and were able to find and safely recover the young girl, along with members of her family.
According to Google Maps, the 8-year-old drove about 25 minutes between her home address and the Bainbridge Target.
The girl told police that during her drive, she hit a mailbox, causing some damage to the car. The police report did not mention any injuries.