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Yesterday, there was an alert about a stolen red Toyota Scion in Queens. And the driver was no ordinary car thief - it was the 12 year old son of the car's owner, who apparently left with his 7 year old brother in the car! Luckily pre-teen Kenny Rodriguez and his little brother Miguel Pepin were safe and sound when the police found them. But why drive off?
Their mother, Carolina Rivas, tells the Daily News that she "had had words with her older son about his behavior in school and with a baby-sitter when he returned to his Kew Gardens Hills home after school."
Then Rivas, who works the night shift as an emergency room technician at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, got ready to take a nap at 4 p.m.Kenny had driven to his friend's house in Elmhurst (he even parallel-parked!), where the friend's older brother saw the news alerts about Kenny and the car and confiscated the keys. We imagine Rivas will be having some more words with Kenny."I told him to watch television," said Rivas. "I told him his aunt was on the way."
Rivas was awakened when her boyfriend and the aunt arrived about 5:30 p.m. By then, the kids, the keys and her 2006 Toyota Scion were all gone. Cops on foot, in squad cars and with tracking dogs launched a search in the area. The NYPD even contacted police in nearby Nassau County to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
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The news reports say he was driving around for a few hours. I know many kids nowadays look older than their age but a 12 year old driving around for hours and no one noticed???
The Daily News doesn't quite understand cars. Their article notwithstanding, there is no such vehicle as a "Toyota Scion." Scion is a separate brand of vehicles manufactured by the Toyota Motor Company, along with the Toyota and Lexus brands. Saying "Toyota Scion" is like saying "Ford Mercury" or "Nissan Infiniti."
Beyond the failure of law enforcement officials to notice a 12 year old driving around and the holes in the automobile knowledge of the daily news, there are other important remarkes to be made on this story. We read the story from an adult perspective; mom is hard working, son is a troublemaker (he was in trouble at school, misbehaved with the babysitter, etc). Here's something, though; he took his younger brother, went to a known friends's house, and knew how to parallel park. These are indications of a very thoughtful mind. I wonder what kind of "words" he had with his mother. Did he take his little brother to scare his mom, or to protect his brother (how many 12-year-olds choose to hang out with their 7-year-old brother, when it is not a question of serious loyalty?)
Alert: all good points.
I learned how to drive around that age in the backwoods of Quebec within sight of my parents farm, but how many 12 year olds raised in the city can drive and park without an incident?
Who taught this kid? I wonder if it was a video game?
Being a mother with a "student driver" son, I am impressed with this kid's skills, discipline notwithstanding..
maybe the kid helped move the car for street cleaning - the mom does work the super late shift. i'm impressed that a 12-y/o can parallel park - but these city kids, they're far more savvy than i was at that age.
how many 12 year olds raised in the city can drive and park without an incident?"
Probably a lot more than you think.
he probably brought his younger brother with him knowing that if the brother was left behind he would wake mom immediately and never get away with the car! i always enjoyed tattling on my bro when i was that age :)
I struggle to parallel park and I'm 34. I'm impressed (though, of course, he should be punished).
The Post says the police don't know whether they will press charges.
I heard the police will not press charges but I'm sure his mother will dish out appropriate punishment.
Forget punishment -- if he can parallel park properly, he's already a better driver than most of the people in this city!
i know this boy his my friend. his mother says his in the sixth grade his not she does'nt know anything about him his in the seventh
Very funny, Seriously, This is just another example of a parent not doing the job of raising her child . She gets in his ass for behaving badly in school and he decides take his younger brother and runaway using the car! In my house that's an Ass Whuppin, Check that an Ass Whuppin and two months punishment ! I'm twenty-eight now and have my own house but if I did something like that when I was a child . My mother would have broken something that I was born with ! Yeah, I know you weak-ass parents reading this think "What kind of parent would treat a child like that ". The answer is a parent that cares enough to beat you damn near to death to raise you right ! The mother in question is going to have a hard time raising her son because he knows that he can do something as dangerous as this and get away with it unscaved . It also sets in motion what the younger child might do in a year or two . As they say, "Little brother follows Big Brother" I wouldn't be surprised if these two made more news in the near future . Parents get the belt out of cold storage and start whuppin some ass, And stop it with the "Time Out stuff"! It doesn't work !!!!
I work with this mom. She is a great mother. Shes a hard working woman supporting her kids. Believe me, she punished him. Shes allowed to take a nap. Dont we all do one time or another. Who would think their child would steal the car and go. Lay off her about being a horrible mother. I trust her with my children.