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Early Addition
The safety and welfare of a child as well as other New Jersey residents is at stake, but news that a 9 year-old boy has been stealing and then driving a riding lawn mower, a Ford Taurus, and finally, a large school bus, not to mention stealing 20 bicycles, is almost so ridiculous that it's funny. Also, The Times isn't helping things by saying the boy is "described by the police today as 'a very small 9-year-old, about three and a half feet tall.'" The boy has attended an alternative school, and the police chief says that the system has never been able to hold him, in spite of being charged numerous times, which worries neighbors. The boy has had 70 run-ins with the police since moving to Buena, NJ, a year ago, which then turns the story sadder. The kid is clearly talented and focused at some things(this reminds Gothamist of subway enthusiast Keron Thomas who impersonated a subway engineer fairly succesfully); here's hoping he gets more help and supervision.
As for the bus incident, the boy apparently tried to convince friends to hop on. The police chief admitted the boy was able to navigate around narrow streets school buses don't usually try, and police caught up with the boy at the highway, "after relatives gave chase on foot."
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This 3.5-footer's vehicle-mania also reminds me of Darius McCollum, who was known for impersonating NYC transit personnel and is thought to have Asperger's syndrome. McCollum's syndrome manifested itself in an obsession with all aspects of the transit system. Maybe this "very small 9-year-old" has the condition as well?
Thanks, hatchback, that's who I was really thinking of, but Keron Thomas fit the bill also. I think there's a breed of people fascinated with the subway/transportation and crazy enough to do stuff like that.
You're welcome, Gothamist. May I refer you to another story of subway fixation? This article, a somewhat recent Tunnel Vision column, is a nice link between the New Jersey tot and the aforementioned subway-obsessed gentlemen. Seems to me that these parents are breeding future McCollums.