3 Year Old Recovering After Taking Car on Wild Ride

Police say the young boy jumped in the car, knocked it into neutral, and the car rolled down a hill and crashed.

Police call this a freak accident. It happened Monday afternoon at the woman's home near Jersey Shore. Police say the young boy is doing fine, but the family is shaken up.

There is a steep hill outside the home on Old Fort Road near Jersey Shore. The family who lives there knows that all too well.

While the woman and her 3-year-old grandson were outside playing on Monday, she took her eyes off of him briefly and he got into the car.

"He bumped it into neutral somehow. The car then proceeded to roll, rolled down a hill through a cornfield. It actually went down a steep embankment and struck a tree," Officer Jordan Mahosky said.

Police tell Newswatch 16 the child is lucky. His injuries could have been a lot worse, but he's doing fine.

"He's going to spend a few days down there at Geisinger until he's ready to come back home," Mahosky said.

Newswatch 16 spoke to some neighbors who know the family well.

"She goes by here every day and beeps her horn. We wave. They're very nice people," Mary Snyder said.

The neighbors all agree that this was a scary accident.

"With little children, you can turn your back for one second and something's going to happen, either good or bad," Snyder said.

Police call it a freak accident and do not plan on pressing charges.

"It only takes a minute for him to climb in there. He's only 3 so it only takes a minute for him to get into something he shouldn't be doing," Mahosky said.

The child is listed in fair condition at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville, and police say he's doing well.