Teen in runaway vehicle going 113 mph saved by crashing into trooper: 'I am going to die'

Thursday, October 3, 2024
Teen in runaway vehicle going 113 mph saved by crashing into trooper
A terrifying ordeal on a Minnesota country road was caught on camera.

CLAY COUNTY, Minn. -- A terrifying ordeal on a Minnesota country road was caught on camera.

Sam Dutcher, 18, was driving in Clay County when he said his 2022 white Honda Pilot took off on its own.

The SUV reached speeds up to over 113 miles per hour.

After failing to stop the car, he called 911.

Minnesota State Patrol responded to the call and started talking to him as troopers caught up to him.

"I'm going to die tonight," Dutcher said as he described his thoughts while driving.

Troopers tried to put up stop sticks to pop the tires and hope the vehicle would stop. But that didn't work.

Troopers turned to "Plan B." They activated the squad car's "anti-collision sensors" and sped up to outrun the SUV.

"Run into the back of [the trooper's] car," law enforcement told the 18-year-old driver.

The teen followed instructions and crashed into the trooper. Eventually, they all came to a stop.

"It's not very often a sheriff's deputy orders you to hit a State Patrol vehicle, but hitting Trooper Zach Gruver's squad helped save 18-year-old Sam Dutcher's life," the Minnesota State Patrol said on social media.

In all, the terrifying ordeal lasted about 20 minutes.

Later on, the heroic troopers, the 18-year-old and his mother reunited.

Honda issued the following statement to ABC News:

"We are grateful that the customer is safe ... 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."