- Sam Dutcher was stuck in his runaway vehicle that malfunctioned and would not brake during a drive on Sept. 17
- The vehicle accelerated to 113 mph and took him across state lines to Minnesota from North Dakota
- Authorities in both states assisted the teen, and a Minnesota trooper used his car as the stopping mechanism to save Dutcher
An 18-year-old was trapped in a runaway car that took him across state lines from North Dakota to Minnesota, Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting and Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Jesse Grabow tell PEOPLE.
Teen Sam Dutcher was driving his 2022 Honda Pilot in Fargo, N.D., on Sept. 17 when the vehicle malfunctioned and could not stop.
Dutcher, 18, repeatedly tried to turn off the car, but it continued to accelerate, reaching a speed of 113 MPH and taking the teen from Cass County, N.D., into Clay County, Minn.
His mother, Catherine, was behind her son when the 20-minute ordeal began and noticed the car somehow malfunctioned. She called 911 and spoke to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, per an audio recording obtained by Good Morning America. “My son is driving the car currently because I’m in the loaner car, and he is going down County 17 and can’t get the car to slow down or stop,” she said.
Clay County Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Johnson then spoke with Dutcher, and “was the calming, soothing voice for Sam,” says Empting.
“I don’t think this is going to stop. I’m going to hit the end of the road and I’m going to die,” Dutcher recalled to GMA. The show identified the vehicle as a 2022 Honda Pilot.
Johnson advised him to put the car in neutral, brake, or pull the emergency brake, but the car continued to drive. Minnesota State Trooper Zach Gruver also responded and caught up with Dutcher on the road.
“Over the radio, it was there that he was doing 80 to 90 miles an hour. And when I caught up to him, I hit my radar and he was at 113,” Gruver told GMA.
Trooper Zach Gruver.
WDAY/YouTube
Then, Gruver went ahead of the vehicle to try to put stop sticks, a row of spikes used to puncture tires, on the road, says Empting. However, he was unable to do so. Gruver then alerted people in Hitterdal, Minn. After Sam’s car went through the town, “Gruver once again had to catch and pass the vehicle as time and distance were running out as they entered Becker County,” per MSP, adding that two to three miles away, there was a dead end.
“It was kind of just, get in front of them and try to get him stopped,” Gruver told GMA.
Johnson advised Dutcher to hit the back of Gruver’s car. Gruver then paced Drutcher’s car, which hit Gruver from behind. “Trooper Gruver applied his brakes and brought the vehicle to a stop,” says MSP.
There were no injuries in the incident. “It is amazing work by these three guys and some quick thinking and putting themselves in harm’s way to get this car stopped,” Empting said. “It was just great work.”
Empting confirms with PEOPLE that Drutcher’s car was returned to the local Honda dealership and is now in storage, per GMA.
On Oct. 3, Drutcher and Catherine met with Gruver. “It was incredible to get a chance to meet the officer that saved my son. And to think about him risking his life to save my son was just, it was amazing,” Catherine told GMA.
“It was definitely a big relief,” Gruver said. “If we wouldn’t have been able to get it stopped, I don’t think Sam would be here to talk about it.”
“We are grateful that the customer is safe,” Honda said in a statement to ABC News. “We cannot speculate about the issue experienced by the customer without a detailed inspection of the vehicle. We encourage the family to have the vehicle towed to an authorized Honda dealer to enable that inspection.”
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Honda did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Friday.
