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Indiana police chase leads to safe recovery of missing 13-year-old girl: officials

By Lauren Westphal
Published  March 20, 2026 2:48pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 32 Chicago

The Brief

    • Police pursued a 16-year-old driver suspected of having a missing 13-year-old girl in the car after he rammed a patrol vehicle and fled onto I-65.
    • Officers used stop sticks and a precision immobilization technique to finally stop the vehicle; the driver was taken into custody.
    • The 13-year-old girl was safely returned home, a 19-year-old passenger was released, and no injuries were reported.

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - A 13-year-old girl was rescued after she was reportedly missing and endangered inside the car of a 16-year-old who would not stop for police, according to the Lake County Sheriff.

Around 2:05 a.m., Lake County Sheriff's officers attempted to stop a Toyota Camry at Ripley Street and Central Avenue in Lake Station. The car was believed to be the vehicle involved with a missing and endangered 13-year-old girl, police say. Officers surrounded the vehicle, but the driver of the Toyota rammed into a patrol car twice, and eventually went west on Ridge Road to I-65.

Hobart police say they deployed stop sticks at that point, but the driver continued to flee with a flat front tire heading south on I-65.

Lake County officers finally stopped the driver by performing a precision immobilization technique on I-65 near 61st Avenue in Hobart. The 16-year-old from Vernon Hills, Ill., was taken into custody. Charges are still pending, according to police.

The 13-year-old girl was transported back home to her family in Illinois. 

A 19-year-old passenger from Zion, Ill., was released at the scene.

No injuries were reported during the incident. 

The Source: Details for this story were provided by the Lake County Sheriff.

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