An 8-year-old girl from Ohio drove to Target alone in an SUV

BEDFORD, Ohio — An 8-year-old girl left her Ohio home in an SUV and drove miles to a store where she was later found unharmed, authorities said.

The girl, whose name has not been released, and the vehicle – a 2020 Nissan Rogue – were reported missing around 9 a.m. Sunday, Bedford police said. Family members said they last saw the girl in the apartment about two hours earlier.

As police began their investigation, they learned that a young child had been spotted driving a car on a nearby road, but the vehicle could not be located. The SUV was eventually found a short time later in the parking lot of a Target store in Bainbridge, nearly 13 miles from her home.

Police soon found the child alone in the store. She told officers she hit a mailbox while driving, but nothing else. Authorities did not say why she decided to drive to the store or provide any other details about her trip.

The girl is too young to be criminally charged, police said. It was unclear Monday whether charges would be filed in the case, which is still under investigation.