An eight-year-old boy stole his mother’s car before going on a late night 140kph (87mph) joyride down a German motorway.
The child took the VW Golf from the family home in the western town of Soest.
He was found in a lay-by on the A44 autobahn to Dortmund 50 minutes after his mother first reported both him and the vehicle missing.
He had put the hazard warning lights on and placed a small warning triangle behind the car while he waited to be rescued.
He told police who found him “I just wanted to drive a little”, before bursting into tears.
The incident at 12.25am on Wednesday morning was revealed by police on Facebook.
The boy’s mother said the child, who has not been named, had previously driven cars on private property and was a regular on bumper cars and go-karts.
After being found in the lay-by at 1.15am, he said his high-speed dash had made him feel unwell.
No property or people were hurt, police confirmed, but they did not say if the family were being charged in connection with the incident.
