The ride ended when the boy crashed into a van, right off the I-75 northbound exit in Tipp City. Nobody was seriously hurt, reported WKEF.
[Ads /]
Before the crash, the car was spotted driving recklessly through parts of Vandalia, Dayton and Tipp City. Witnesses said he was driving 80-90 miles an hour on the highway.
Concerned drivers said they saw the boy behind the wheel and called 911 while following the car.
Police tried to pull the car over, but the boy refused. Officers said they did not chase the vehicle because of concerns about the safety of other drivers. They were also unaware just how young the driver was at the time.
RELATED: 9-year-old caught driving mom's car in Las Vegas
The Ohio State Highway Patrol also got involved and tried to pull the car over.
"I saw him come up the ramp here and he actually stopped at the red light. He had his turn signal on and I mean he was adhering with some of the traffic laws that he's learned in his nine years," said Sgt. Jeff Kramer.
Troopers said the boy exited I-75 in Tipp City but ran into traffic at a stop light. He tried to drive between two vehicles and crashed into a van.
[Ads /]
"It turned out it was a 9-year-old boy from Dayton who stole his grandma's vehicle unbeknownst to her and just decided to go for a joy ride," said Kramer.
Troopers also said the boy was not wearing a seatbelt.
"He's fortunate that he didn't hurt himself. He was not buckled in because he wouldn't have been able to see over the dash board if he was," said Kramer.
Officials said the boy was released to his grandmother.
"When you're nine years old you don't need to have a constant eye on him. He can fend for himself for the most part and [she] thought he was in another room doing other things and she went outside and noticed her car was gone," said Kramer.
Police said he will face a number of charges.