Sisters, 10 & 12, Flip SUV While Taking Joyride On Staten Island
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Two sisters, ages 10 and 12, were lucky to walk away from a crash after taking an SUV for a joyride Thursday on Staten Island.
The SUV crashed into parked cars on Lincoln Street near Manor Road in Castleton Corners, then flipped onto its side.
"Dressed in pink, looked adorable, and they had been the drivers the vehicle," witness Mary McLean told CBS2's Lisa Rozner. "How their foot reached the pedal is beyond me. I'll never understand it."
Witnesses said the 10-year-old was behind the wheel. Good Samaritans helped the sisters as they crawled out of the vehicle with just bumps and bruises.
"Everyone was just like really? Really? These two little girls did this? Were they speeding? How'd they flip?" said McLean.
The girls told police they were trying to get to Dunkin Donuts, two blocks from the crash scene and one third of a mile from their home on Fanning Road.
Police sources told CBS2 the SUV belongs to Livet Ortiz Delacrus, their father's girlfriend. We're told neither she nor the father were home, and someone else was watching them at the time.
Neighbors, who said the girls don't live there full-time, said they're anything but misbehaved.
"I actually love them. They're really sweet, they're friendly to me over the fence. They drew me pictures," Roselyn Benis said. "When they barbecue, they bring us hot dogs and stuff. I know them as two cute little girls."
"They're very friendly, family-oriented. They seem very OK," said Eddie Hamsho.
Rozner drove the route they may have taken, crossing through traffic and stopping at a light.
"My reaction is: Do you blame this on keyless entry? Where were the parents? Were the keys in the car that children jumped into the car?" McLean said.
The vehicle may have keyless entry, as most recent models of the SUV are only made that way.
As for the girls, they're not facing charges, but the investigation is ongoing.
