10-year-old takes construction equipment for a ride through neighborhood

By Lily Coleman

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    PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — Neighbors in the city’s Brookline neighborhood were left with quite a mess after a stolen Bobcat construction vehicle caused significant damage to a number of cars and properties along Fordham Avenue Monday evening.

Mount Lebanon officials say a 10-year-old boy was behind the wheel. The equipment appeared to be taken from a nearby construction site more than three blocks away. Mount Lebanon police are investigating the stolen equipment.

Doorbell camera footage caught the heavy piece of equipment making its way down Castlegate Avenue before heading up the hill and turning onto nearby Fordham Avenue. The boy was able to get the Bobcat a few blocks down on Fordham, taking out a number of vehicles and causing damage to some nearby properties.

“As soon as I heard the crash and I heard beeping, I was like, ‘I know it’s my car,'” Taylor Shea said.

Shea added, “I just knew it. I didn’t know it’d be a Bobcat, though.”

Shea’s vehicle had been side-swiped by the heavy piece of machinery. Her car is still driveable and she’s working with her insurance about getting it repaired. Other neighbors weren’t as lucky. One neighbor whose car was damaged said the estimated repairs totaled more than $15,000.

Lucy Sullivan lives nearby and watched the whole thing unfold. She says she and her husband were shocked when they saw who was behind the wheel.

“I couldn’t make out a face, but I did take a mental note that the person driving it did seem a little bit short,” Sullivan said before adding, “They were wearing a hard hat with a headlamp, so it was quite bright — and you couldn’t really see his face.”

It’s unclear if any charges will be filed. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reached out to Mount Lebanon police for any updates, but we have not heard back.

In the meantime, neighbors say this stretch of the neighborhood is very busy, with many people exercising or walking their dogs or kids each night. All neighbors we spoke with say they are just glad that no one, including the young driver, was injured.

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