One 11-year-old boy would do just about anything for friendship — even if that means driving 320 kilometres, underage.
The South Carolina native was returned to his family after officials say he drove from Simpsonville to Charleston to meet a friend from Snapchat.
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The young man reportedly pulled up next to an office at around 12:30 a.m. early Monday morning.
An official document released by the Charleston Police Department reads that “he told Officer Christopher Braun he took his brother’s car and drove to Charleston to live with an unknown male he met on Snapchat.”
While driving, the statement reads, the boy lost GPS service, meaning he lost the address to which he was headed. He’d been using his dad’s tablet to get directions to the location in Charleston.
WATCH: (July 12, 2019) Kingston police believe Snapchat’s ‘snap map’ feature is a safety concern
When his father was contacted, he was in the process of reporting his son missing.
Shortly after the boy was found, his father drove down to Charleston to pick him up.
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Investigations are underway and officials have kept the tablet as evidence, according to the statement.
“I would love tonight — right now, anybody who’s watching this — who is a parent of a child, especially an 11-year-old, to sit down with your 11-year-old … and have a conversation about what you’re doing on social media,” said Charleston Police Chief Luther T. Reynolds, speaking to WCIV.
“The dangers, the benefits and things that as a parent, we need to talk about every day.”
It’s not yet known who the boy was trying to meet, but officials are investigating using information from the tablet.
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