Lucy Devine
Police have issued a warning after a 13-year-old crashed a vehicle with an 11-year-old child in the passenger seat.
A drunk teenager allegedly stole the vehicle before crashing the car in Arizona, according to the Department of Public Safety and Highway Patrol.
The pair had allegedly taken the vehicle from the Flagstaff Police Department at around 1am on Tuesday, September 30, before driving it the wrong way on Interstate 40.
It's reported that the teenager drove onto a guardrail before the vehicle collided with a nearby tree.
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"The impact was so severe that the steering wheel broke off while the vehicle was rolling, and was ejected approximately 50 feet from where the vehicle landed," the department explained.
Both children suffered from non-life-threatening injuries and were sent to a local hospital.
Police said the driver showed 'six out of six signs of intoxication.'
Following the crash, her blood alcohol concentration was found to be 0.183%, higher than the limit of 0.08%.
A DPS spokesperson told ABC News that the 13-year-old is expected to face driving-under-the-influence (DUI) charges.
Photos from the crash show the vehicle with its roof caved in, its front end twisted against a tree and the steering wheel lying in the grass.
"Around 1 AM on September 30, 2025, Highway Patrol State Troopers received a call for a wrong-way driver on I-40 eastbound," said the Highway Patrol.
"A Deputy observed the vehicle drive the wrong way across the median and then self-correct before continuing eastbound at over 100 MPH.
"The vehicle was reported as stolen and had fled from the Flagstaff Police Department before the Deputy saw it.
"The vehicle drove onto the guardrail and 'rode' across the guardrail before rolling several times and landing in a tree.
"The impact was so severe that the steering wheel broke off while the vehicle was rolling, and was ejected approximately 50 feet from where the vehicle landed.
"The driver of the vehicle was a 13-year-old kid with an 11-year-old in the passenger seat. Both juveniles sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Troopers observed 6 out of 6 signs of intoxication in the driver before medics transported them for care. A blood alcohol analysis at the hospital showed the driver had a 0.183 BAC."
The statement continued, warning: "We're thankful the kids are okay, but this could've ended way worse. Juvenile joyriding and underage drinking are extremely dangerous. Talk to your kids about the dangers of drinking and unlicensed driving."