20-mile van chase ends with deputies realizing driver is just 13, NC sheriff says
A 13-year-old boy is facing more than a half dozen charges after deputies say he led a chase that covered more than 20 miles in two North Carolina counties.
The pursuit happened Tuesday and began in Rocky Mount’s Meadowbrook subdivision, the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office said in a May 7 news release.
“Deputy J. Daniels attempted a traffic stop on a Chrysler Town and Country van in Meadowbrook for a stop sign violation. Shortly after notifying communications of the vehicle stop, the driver, later identified as a 13-year-old male juvenile, fled on Beverly Road,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies pursued the van south on US 301 South into Wilson County, where it came to a stop in 1300 block of Gold Street North in Wilson, officials said.
“The driver fled on foot but was quickly apprehended after a brief foot pursuit,” the sheriff’s office said.
“He was taken before juvenile court counselors and charged accordingly. He was remanded to the Pitt County Juvenile Detention Center in Greenville.”
Investigators did not identify the van’s owner.
The teen has been charged with.
- Felony fleeing to elude
- Failure to stop at a stop sign
- Reckless driving
- Failure to stop at a stop light
- No operator’s license
- Driving on the wrong side of the road
- Failure to heed blue lights and sirens
Rocky Mount is about a 60-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 10:12 AM with the headline "20-mile van chase ends with deputies realizing driver is just 13, NC sheriff says."