A 12-year-old boy allegedly took his grandfather’s car and drove approximately 160 miles over a mountain highway in Washington state, getting caught just before Thanksgiving, as reported by the sheriff’s office.

On Wednesday, police in Issaquah, which is near Seattle, notified the Grant County Sheriff’s Office (located more than 150 miles away, across the Cascade mountain range) about the boy’s actions. He was believed to have connections to Moses Lake, a small city in Grant County, and was thought to be driving there, according to Kyle Foreman, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

“We’re relieved we could intervene before anything serious happened to him or anyone else,” said Foreman, regarding the boy’s actions.

To complete the trip, the child would have driven along Interstate 90 for about two-and-a-half hours, assuming he followed the speed limit. He needed to navigate Snoqualmie Pass, which is at an elevation of 3,000 feet. Additionally, heavy traffic was expected the day before Thanksgiving, and weather reports indicated near-freezing temperatures and snow in the mountain pass.

Just after 10 a.m., deputies discovered the Volkswagen parked along the curb in a former military housing area near the closed Larson Air Force Base. From that location, the boy attempted to flee, leading deputies on a short chase.

Foreman noted that the residential streets are winding, which limited the boy’s speed. As he approached Randolph Road and State Route 17, close to the Grant County airport, the terrain opened up. Deputies then executed a PIT maneuver, which is used to turn the fleeing vehicle sideways to bring it to a halt.

The child has been detained at the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center, facing charges of vehicle theft and felony evasion, according to a statement from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.