Two car thieves who discovered a child on the back seat decided to drop him off at school before making their getaway.
The eight-year-old was sat waiting for his mother to return when the two men spotted the running engine and jumped in, according to the Virginian Pilot.
Noticing the boy in the back seat, they told him his mother wanted them to drive him to school and asked for the address.
When the mother, who works for the postal service, returned from her office she found him gone. "The mum ran into work to take care of a few things and left the car running with the music on," police spokeswoman Melinda Wray told People.
The mother rang the police who discovered her son 10 minutes later "sitting in class as if nothing had happened.
"The child, after he learned the true details of what happened was obviously shaken," Ms Wray added.
The car was eventually tracked using the mother's smartphone, which had been left in the vehicle.
No charges have been filed for the crime and the thieves have not yet been caught, the Virginian Pilot reported.
