A 14-year-old boy called 911 screaming and crying late Thursday night, October 15, after a car he said his friends had stolen rolled down a steep hillside off Courtland Avenue in Norwood, pinning his leg in the door. Firefighters found the vehicle resting on its side roughly 20 feet down the embankment and worked to free him before rushing him to the hospital.
Police and firefighters responded to the 1700 block of Courtland Avenue around 10:47 p.m. Thursday, October 15, for a crash with entrapment, according to FOX19 Now. The outlet reported that the teen told a 911 dispatcher he was 14 years old and that his leg was stuck in the car door, and he said his friends had stolen the vehicle before he got in it, according to the dispatch report and his own call.
Once on scene, firefighters located the car on its side down the hill and worked to secure it before removing the teenager, per the same account. He suffered a leg injury that the fire department described as non-life-threatening, and he was transported by ambulance to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The hospital is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, one of only four in Ohio, according to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
A Second Person Fled Before Crews Arrived
A fire official told the station that a second person got out of the car before fire crews arrived; that person's identity was not immediately known. The incident remains under police investigation, FOX19 Now's report noted, with no word yet on where the vehicle was originally stolen from.
Technical rescues can involve specialized equipment, according to Fire Engineering. Weight shifts during that kind of extrication pose serious risks to both trapped occupants and rescue crews. Norwood Fire Department operates out of a single centralized headquarters station at 4725 Montgomery Road, which services the enclave city's neighborhoods and nearby institutions including Xavier University, per Cincinnati Fire Apparatus.
What Charges Could Follow
The passenger told dispatchers his friends had stolen the car and that he climbed in afterward. Ohio law distinguishes theft of a motor vehicle from unauthorized use. Under Section 2913.02 of the Ohio Revised Code, stealing a motor vehicle is a fourth-degree felony punishable by six to 18 months in prison and fines up to $5,000 for adults, regardless of the vehicle's market value. Ohio law also addresses unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Auto Theft-Related Charges
Public radio station WVXU reported that prosecutors filed more than 600 auto theft-related charges against juveniles over 2022 and 2023.
As of publication, police had not released the identity of the second person who got out of the car, and the origin of the stolen car remained unconfirmed.
