Key Takeaways
- Mission RCMP say CCTV confirmed a four-year-old started and drove a Cadillac Escalade into two parked vehicles.
- No injuries were reported in the Escalade crash or in a separate small house fire involving a seven-year-old.
- RCMP urged parents to secure keys, tools, ignition sources and other household hazards from children.
A Four-Year-Old Was Behind the Wheel
A four-year-old boy in British Columbia apparently figured out something most parents would never expect: how to get the keys to a Cadillac Escalade, start it and drive away.
The short trip did not last long.
Mission RCMP say the child took the keys to his parents' Cadillac Escalade, entered the vehicle and drove it into two nearby parked cars on the evening of September 18, 2026.
Police later reviewed CCTV footage, which confirmed that the four-year-old was the person who started and drove the vehicle.
No injuries were reported.
It Wasn't the Only Child-Related Incident That Day
Earlier that morning, Mission RCMP responded to another potentially dangerous situation involving a child.
Police say a seven-year-old boy found a small blowtorch inside his residence, connected a propane cylinder to it and started a small fire inside the home.
Mission Fire and Rescue Service responded and quickly extinguished the fire.
RCMP highlighted the two incidents together as examples of how quickly children can find themselves in dangerous situations involving everyday items.
How Did a Four-Year-Old Drive an Escalade?
The RCMP release provides only limited details about exactly how the child managed to operate the SUV.
Police confirmed that he obtained the keys, entered the Cadillac, started it and drove into the parked vehicles.
RCMP did not specify how far the Escalade travelled, how much damage was caused or whether anyone was inside the parked cars at the time.
The CCTV confirmation is particularly notable because it removes much of the uncertainty surrounding what might otherwise sound like an unbelievable neighbourhood story.
According to police, the four-year-old really was behind the wheel.
RCMP's Message to Parents
Mission RCMP used the two incidents to highlight a broader household-safety issue.
Police said children can be "very resourceful" and may find themselves in dangerous situations quickly.
The incidents show why parents may need to think beyond the most obvious household hazards.
Vehicle keys can provide access to a large and powerful vehicle. Tools, propane cylinders and ignition sources can create serious fire risks when accessible to children.
RCMP encouraged parents to look around their homes and consider whether additional precautions could help prevent similar incidents.
That could include examining where vehicle keys, tools and other potentially dangerous equipment are stored and whether young children can reach them.
Mission RCMP Responded to 333 Calls That Week
The two incidents appeared in Mission RCMP's community update covering September 14 to September 20.
Police reported responding to 333 calls for service during the week, while also conducting 30 proactive patrols of identified hot spots and completing 12 curfew checks.
Other incidents included the rescue of a couple stranded on an island in the Fraser River, arrests involving teenagers following an incident at a dollar store, impaired-driving investigations and a fire at a homeless encampment.
Among hundreds of calls, however, the two September 18 incidents stood out because ordinary objects — vehicle keys and a small blowtorch — were enough to create potentially serious situations.
TwikUp Perspective
The image of a four-year-old driving a Cadillac Escalade is what makes this story extraordinary, but the broader safety lesson is much more ordinary.
There was no sophisticated way around a security system described in the police account. The child obtained the vehicle keys and managed to start and move the SUV.
The blowtorch incident raises a similar issue: something that may seem like ordinary equipment to an adult can become dangerous when a young child gains access to it.
For parents, the incidents offer a useful reason to look at a home from a child's perspective. The question isn't only whether something appears dangerous, but whether a curious child can reach it and figure out how to use it.
In Mission, both incidents ended without reported injuries. Given that one involved a moving SUV and the other an indoor fire, the outcomes could easily have been far more serious.
Source: Mission RCMP, RCMP Community Connection for September 14–20, published September 25, 2026. Image credit - RCMP
Official Mission RCMP news release