Max, the sweet-toothed boy, 3, who walked a mile at 3am to buy chocolate

The Evening Standard (U.K.) ^ | August 7, 2008

[Stoat]

Max, the sweet-toothed boy, 3, who walked a mile at 3am to buy chocolate

Last updated at 19:04pm on 07.08.08

 

 

 

Adventurer: Max McGrath, dressed in pyjamas and oversized shoes, headed off for a sweet hunt... at 3am
 

When three-year-old Max McGrath had an urge for a chocolate egg in the middle of the night, nothing was going to stop him from satisfying his craving.

At 3am the sweet-toothed toddler climbed out of bed, slipped on his brother's shoes and armed himself with his pocket money and a front door key, before heading out on a mile-long walk to the shop. 
 

Still dressed in his pyjamas, determined Max toddled through deserted streets in oversized shoes, crossing several roads, until he was finally spotted peering despondently through the window of a closed Somerfield supermarket.

Meanwhile his family, from Longridge, Preston, remained blissfully unaware of his adventures as they slept.

Newspaper delivery driver James Brown, from Bolton, said he was stunned to see fearless Max outside the shop.

"I approached him and he told me in a very matter-of-fact way that he was going to the shop," said James.
 

"He told me that his family were at home asleep."

James took Max back to the family home at 4am and, when he could not wake Max's parents, called police and explained what had happened.
 

 "He was fine but it must have been such a shock for his family when they found out what had happened," he said.
 

"I have a child about the same age and it is terrifying to think what an adventurous youngster can get up to."

Max's relieved mother Amy said: "Max is a very adventurous boy but is a complete surprise that he would do something like this.

Delivery driver James Brown, who spotted Max peering into the window of the Somerfield store a mile-and-a-half from his home

 

 

 

"It is terrifying to think what might have happened because he must have crossed several roads.

"Anyone could have found him but I am very grateful that Mr Brown did what he did and brought him home safely to us.

"When the police arrived it was an awful shock. They said they had found my son.

"I'm still shaking from shock after all this."

 

[Stoat]

a FR thread from 2005:

Boy, 5, in cake run

A PECKISH five-year-old boy slipped unnoticed from his school and took a bus to the local supermarket to buy cake.

[Stoat]

"When the police arrived it was an awful shock. They said they had found my son.

"I'm still shaking from shock after all this."

Every parent's nightmare.

[bvw]

Hooray for three year olds!

[Flash Bazbeaux]

“”When the police arrived it was an awful shock. They said they had found my son.
“I’m still shaking from shock after all this.”

Every parent’s nightmare.”

Lucky for them that’s all it was, and now it’s over. It could have been a nightmare that never ended.

Flash Jr. 1.0 turns three on Sunday.

[John123]

Oh yeah... I did this too... when I was 39 years old...

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

FREERIDER PING????

[johnthebaptistmoore]

This also sounds like something that Indiana Jones, as a toddler, would do.

[Arthalion]

Mr. Brown took an awful chance when he put the kid in his truck and took him back home. If the parents had already discovered the kid missing and called the police, he'd have had a heck of a time convincing them that he wasn't a kidnapper. What if the police had spotted him in the truck before he even reached the house? I'm glad it turned out well, but that was a very poor choice on his part.

"Sure. You expect us to believe that this three year old walked an entire mile to the store and nobody saw him? And you were just kindly driving him home?"

Should anyone ever stumble upon a lost kid like this, the smart thing to do is to sit the kid down and call the police from the place where the kid was found. Keep the kid safe, but let the police deal with taking him home.

[TexasCajun]

I feel your pain kid!

[lafroste]

Which is why all our exterior doors have safety chain locks placed way up high where our fearless 3 year old can’t get to them.

[Xenalyte]

Do Brits not speak in contractions? Or does the Brit media have a bias against them?

[krb]

Ambien kid?

[RichInOC]

1. If Cadbury doesn’t sign Max up for an endorsement deal yesterday, they’re knuckleheads.

2. If the Army doesn’t keep an eye on this kid and try to get him in when he’s old enough, they’re even bigger knuckleheads. A three-year-old who’s got the stones to go out on a candy run at 3 in the morning has a good shot to grow up into the kind of guy that walks out of Buckingham Palace one day with the VC pinned on his SAS dress uni.

[Manic_Episode]

When my kid was 3 we had to get him back from the police more than once. He would occasionally climb the fence in the back yard when Mother was distracted and would sneak to the park about 4 blocks away.
Someone always called the police immediately because he stood out like a sore thumb.

He was the only white kid in the entire busy park and there were no matching parents.

At least it wasn't 3am.

[JRios1968]

My 2-year old is a prime candidate to try something like this.

We have already found the 6-year old playing across the street with the neighbor kids when he was supposed to be taking a nap.

[Tired of Taxes]

A family around my way had their child taken away from them for escaping the house while they slept in the early morning hours. Thanks to news coverage, there was such an uproar that the child was returned to them the next day.

[r9etb]

In retrospect, LOL! Typical little kid thing. Glad the little guy is OK ... and since it turned out fine, this is a story his family will enjoy telling for many years to come.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Absolutely! That jumped right out at me as well. You really don’t want to get caught with a little kid in your vehicle when his parents don’t know you and have no idea the kid is with you — even at 4 in the afternoon. If you’re actually acquainted with the family, it MIGHT make sense to take the kid home in your vehicle without calling police. Even then, it’s risky.

[GovernmentShrinker]

Very true. Amazing that the kid actually found the store, since it was a whole mile from his home. I was a pretty precocious tot (though not in such an adventurous way — I was a little GIRL), but I seriously doubt I could have found my way to any pre-chosen destination that far from my home. As far as I was concerned, the only way to get to the grocery store was to go out and get in the car in the driveway (with mom) and wait until the store came into view. I did once make it across the street and one door down to a playmate’s house when I was three.

[Stoat]

this is a story his family will enjoy telling for many years to come.

And it's not often that family stories can be augmented by numerous national newspaper articles....this story is being carried by at least 17 papers at the moment, and it's only a few hours old.  Here are just a few:

Toddler walked 1.5 miles at 3am to find sweets - Telegraph

Longridge toddler's 3am sweetie run - Longridge Today

Boy, three, found in street at 3am (From The Bolton News)