At 12 Years Old, Already a Runaway and Thief - His Mother: "He Takes the Car and Goes Out for a Joyride"

At just 12 years old, he is already a runaway and a thief. His mother states, "He takes the car and goes out for a joyride."
On Sunday, November 30, in the streets of Rose-Hill, a car speeds by, driven by a 12-year-old boy. Jérémie (a pseudonym) has just stolen this vehicle in Quatre-Bornes, marking his fifth escape in a few months. After a reckless ride, he crashes into another car on Gladstone Street, injuring two people. Despite the collision, the teenager continues driving as if nothing happened until the police intervene to stop his wild ride and recover the stolen car.

For Lizbeth (a pseudonym), it's yet another sleepless night filled with anxiety. "I can't sleep at all at night," she confides, her voice heavy with exhaustion. How did things get this far?
At just 12 years old, Jérémie seems much older. Adopted at 10 months by a couple from the lower Plaines-Wilhems, he was once their joy, a child who fulfilled his adoptive parents' lives. But everything changed. "For some time now, he has been acting out, not behaving well," Lizbeth explains, still puzzled by this transformation. Despite her efforts to provide everything he needs, the first signs of trouble appeared at school. Although Jérémie is described by his mother as "very intelligent and observant," he is not focused on his studies. He spends two years in a specialized school in Stanley, but his behavior is violent. Complaints from teachers pile up, and Lizbeth is called repeatedly to discuss the issues. Eventually, he is expelled.

Lizbeth finds him a second school, then a third. Each time, the same scenario unfolds. "I got him a second school, but he fights with other children and the teachers... I had to find him a third school," says this exhausted mother. She even tries a private school, hoping for stricter discipline, but it proves ineffective.

In total, he has been expelled from five schools and has completely disengaged from his studies. Lizbeth and her husband are at their wits' end, unsure how to manage him. Then the worst happens: the boy starts to run away.
His first escape occurs this year. "He said he was going out, and he didn't come back," recounts his distraught mother. It takes him two to three days to return home. "I asked him where he had been, and he said he was with friends," she continues. But it won't be the last time. He recurs, again and again. "This year, he's run away five times from home," she confides. Five escapes in a few months, five times the couple has endured hell.
What worries the parents the most is that now, Jérémie seems to have crossed another line: he has started stealing cars. How can a 12-year-old know how to drive? "During his fourth escape, he stole a car in Coromandel. I don't know how he learned to drive. He is very intelligent and has observed his father, who is a mechanic," explains Lizbeth.
On that day, she recounts, her son went on a wild ride. "He went joyriding that day. He went to Bagatelle, Tribeca, Katborn, and Site Bosezour, then he had an accident. He crashed into a parked car and fled, leaving the car and getting into a truck."
At that moment, the truck driver was unaware. "The driver didn't know if he had run into the truck. He drove until St-Pierre, Petit-Verger. Then the driver found a head in the cabin." Surprised, the driver stops and asks the boy what he is doing there. "He says he is going to see his family. The driver says to stay put, and he calls the police. Then I get a call, and I have to go," says the disillusioned mother.

Back home, the respite is short-lived. On Friday, November 28, Jérémie runs away again. "He said he was going to take the food to the homeless, then he didn't come back," sighs Lizbeth. The couple plunges back into distress, knowing his modus operandi. Sure enough, their son steals another car. "I learned he hit two people, but thankfully without serious injuries," she says, relieved nonetheless.
As he returns home, Lizbeth notices something strange. Her son makes unexpected revelations. "Each time he comes back, he has new clothes and shoes. When I ask him what he’s been doing, he tells me he’s been out for a joyride. He’s been leaving with women who drive. When he goes out, he says he earns Rs 200 - Rs 300," she reveals, surprised to learn that her 12-year-old son is working as a night-time transporter. "I know he doesn’t do drugs," she feels compelled to add, as if to reassure herself about what remains of her child's innocence.
Despite all this chaos, Lizbeth refuses to give up. Her maternal love remains intact. "I love him. I’m arranging a home for him in Bobasin. Just because this happened, I won’t wash my hands of him. He remains my child," she asserts. Her dearest wish? "I want him to change, to become a good boy like he was before. He was fine. I’m sad, what can I do?" she admits, her voice thick with emotion.
After a week in the hospital following the November 30 accident, Jérémie has been placed in the Child Development Unit. "I don’t know when he will come out," says Lizbeth. In the meantime, she continues to hope that her son will find the path he has lost, that the little boy she adopted at 10 months will return to her.