A teenager who "stole" his parents’ car needed to be helped by police because he did not know how to get the car started again.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police were called to an address in Waldronville at 2.30am on Saturday.
A 16-year-old youth had called police saying his vehicle was stuck.
Police arrived and were told by the teenager he had stolen the car from his parents, but did not know how to put it into drive to get it back home.
"He didn’t hold a driver’s licence or know that he had to put his foot on the brake to change the gear to drive," a police spokesman said.
Police got the teenager and the vehicle back to his parents and provided some "basic driver training tips".
The teenager was also issued a road safety directive, which will forbid him from driving until he obtains an appropriate class of driver’s licence.
He was also referred to Youth Aid for a follow-up.
— Tim Scott, PIJF cadet reporter with additional reporting by The New Zealand Herald
