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WEST JORDAN — Three young boys took a relative’s car on a joyride early Friday and had to be rescued by a police officer who happened to be in the area after they crashed the vehicle and it caught fire, according to police.
The incident happened about 5:20 a.m. Three boys, all 13, took a BMW SUV that belonged to a relative of one of the boys, without asking permission, and went out for a ride, said West Jordan Police Sgt. JC Holt.
At the intersection of 7000 South and 3200 West, a South Salt Lake police officer was stopped at the light when the SUV went flying through the intersection at a high rate of speed, Holt said. So much so, that when it hit a little rise in the road, the driver lost control of the vehicle, he said.
The vehicle began to fishtail, then rolled and crashed into some trees and landscaping boulders, including one very large boulder, Holt said.
The vehicle caught fire after the crash. The South Salt Lake officer went to the vehicle where he helped the driver climb out through the passenger side window, said Holt. A second boy was able to get out on his own. A third boy was already out of the SUV when the officer arrived, but it was unclear whether the boy was able to climb out or was ejected, Holt said.
All three were taken to a local hospital in serious but not life-threatening conditions. Holt said the car was a total loss.
Charges against the boys were pending on Friday.
