A 12-year-old boy allegedly swiped an SUV in Staten Island and took it on a wild joy ride across three boroughs — but the pint-sized thief needed a baby booster seat to see over the dashboard of the stolen ride, The Post has learned.
The tiny car thief began his four-wheeled adventure on Monday night when cops said he boosted a Hyundai SUV on Staten Island, getting behind the wheel next to a 16-year-old gal pal and taking off.
He sped over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, then over the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, police and law enforcement sources said.
On Tuesday at around 11 a.m., an NYPD patrol picked up the stolen vehicle and tried to pull the driver over at Canal and Allen streets near Chinatown — but he took off, hitting several vehicles near Houston and Allen Streets.
The fleeing SUV then crashed again at Ridge and Stanton Streets on the Lower East Side, where the pre-teen driver was taken into custody, police said.
Photos of the crash site show a car seat installed behind the wheel of the wrecked silver Hyundai.
The minor menace and his teen friend were not identified because of their ages.
But police said Wednesday that both were charged with criminal possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment and unauthorized use of a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Under state law, the two will face charges as juveniles in Family Court.
“At the rate the legislature is going it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the City Council requires drivers supply the booster seats in the event someone decides to steal their car,” one frustrated cop told The Post.
Another law enforcement source griped that, “the lackadaisical enforcement of and adherence to our laws has now trickled down to our schools, where children now think they can do whatever they want with no consequences.
“[Elected officials] have established a permission structure for kids to commit serious crimes that could potentially lead to the death of others,” the source said.
“But God forbid we do car stops anymore,” the source added sarcastically, “This innocent youth may have to be subject to the criminal justice system.”
.