Kids Try to Steal Pizza Delivery Car, Thwarted by Manual Transmission
The two children, aged 12 and 14, almost had a free ride.
Florida man regularly makes an appearance here on The Drive, but this next story is a bit crazy, even by the Sunshine State's standards. According to the Miami Herald, two kids were arrested in Bonita Springs, Florida after attempting to steal a car belonging to a Domino's Pizza employee making a delivery.
Reports state that Isaac Javier Ortez, who had been delivering pizza for more than 13 years, was en route to deliver a pizza several houses away from one of the children's domiciles. Ortez parked his 2012 Toyota Corolla in the driveway, engine running, and brought the pizza to the door. Once the occupant of the home answered his knocks, he quickly learned that they did not order a pizza. While attempting to figure out just what had happened, Ortez heard his car revving and noticed that two kids in masks were attempting to drive off in his car.
The children, ages 12 and 14, quickly found that their plan to steal the car would not go so smoothly. You see, Ortez's decision to purchase a vehicle with a manual transmission, coupled with the duo's inability to drive stick, played out to his advantage, much like we've seen before. The kids were unable to put the car in gear and abandoned the vehicle as it rolled out of the driveway and into the street. The kids ran off and were later apprehended by police while walking along railroad tracks.
What makes this more interesting is that only a few months ago, the younger of the pair was cited last November after he took his mother's car (probably equipped with an automatic transmission, given his troubles this round) and was pulled over for driving without headlights. Though he may have gotten off with tickets last round, he was not so lucky this time. Police charged both children with grand theft auto and possession of burglary tools upon arrest. One of the children was reportedly also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.
The moral of this story? Drive a car with a manual gearbox and next time have your pizza delivered by a drone instead.
