12-year-old steals credit card and flies to Bali | A Current Affair Australia

hello I'm Tracy Grimshaw welcome to a Current Affair twelve-year-old drew isn't the first kid to run away from home after a fight but he could be the first who made it all the way to Bali hopping on a jet star flight after breezing through customs here and Indonesia reporter Brady halls will join me in a moment but first how did he manage it and could your child do it too was great hello let's go on an adventure uh-oh you're not going to believe what this kid's been onto trolleybus eight escaped from Australia and then the paralysis it was a little bit worried shocked disgusted there's no emotion to feel what we felt when we found that he left overseas that was a week you won't forget the 12 year old boy who took himself across Australia and on to Bali on his own with not a parent in tow and don't think it couldn't happen to you so a child can have an argument with their parents and leave the country he just doesn't like the word knife and that's what I got a kid in Indonesia and no one stopped him at the border it's too easy that's way too easy there's a problem yeah we in our system crew is terrific on a scooter at the skatepark but he's really good at being a travel agent now we've decided not to identify him so he doesn't get hassled over what he now regrets he's a good kid just ask Linda his nan he's kind he's generous he's got a heart of gold and know there's no problem with him he's just he's just too intelligent for his own self at the moment but Drew's a runner packed his bags and left home at the age of two but was caught at the local park this time he up to the knotch went to the airport and then grew didn't let me on why is that cause I didn't have document from mom or dad like most kids he can do a world of stuff on that smartphone I got the money back from Gerudo I went to Qantas and then booked and then they needed a letter from mum I need a letter as well yeah now he'd been borrowing the family credit cards to do these sections but Garuda and Qantas wouldn't let him travel his separated parents soon found out about the two previous attempts to go overseas and alerted the Australian Federal Police we screamed we begged for help for weeks on end and when the first attempt to Indonesia took place we were told his passport was going to be flagged now drew and mamimi dad Brett and his sister new barley wells they have annual holidays there but drew is never allowed to be away from his family side in Bali it's a fun place that as we know it can be dangerous too we've got us finally I was there's no rules absolutely nervous but for these parents their worst nightmare was about to happen and then I looked up a jet star and they said it will work third time lucky don't say it would work at said I'm not an unaccompanied model so what didn't work on Garuda what didn't work on Qantas worked for you on jet stuff oh don't worry nan was told by the AFP no this wouldn't happen it was a inkay you know it just wouldn't happen he wouldn't he wouldn't get past any of the airport personnel to get overseas but it happened I wanted to go away and what we talked about but it is gonna be talked about yeah with the Jetstar flight confirmed drew threw a few things in a backpack and grabbed his precious scooter Bali here I can catching a train to the airport for a flight that unfortunately was via Perth sort of stuffed up cause I got the day old shape not to worry he still had his wits about him don't go to those check-in counters they asked too many questions so he sult served himself and not an alarm bell went off okay so when you got on the plane in Sydney it's going down the runway and it's taking off you're heading across the Nullarbor and you're heading towards purse what was going through your mind I was like thinking why am I doing this but I still had gentleman from being so angry and mom just to not care you see all this was the result of an argument with mum never been a purse before yeah didn't know much about the place yeah what'd you do went upstairs to wear like watch the planes take off trying to dodge the AFP in Perth all you thought they might be on to you he had to move to the International Terminal in Perth but again no one asked any tricky questions of him and they just asked for my student ID and passport to prove that black euro per 12 years I am in a secondary school and no one questioned you along the way barley bound the 12 year old all alone passing his time in the window seat taking these videos of the clouds just under four hours later his flight touches down in Denpasar then they just asked for my passport and then they asked if I was with anyone and I said no my mom's waiting outside because she lives in Bali I'm gonna meet her outside go stamp okay and he was satisfied with that in and out comes a young boy all alone in a foreign country no luggage except for that backpack and a scooter folded inside [Music] by that stage and you're starting to get a little worried where am i I'm here by myself oh I was a bit worried yeah what was going through your mind what sort of worries we have what what am I gonna do he jumped a go-jek bike and pitted for a hotel where the family had stayed before the All Seasons it was reminiscent of a home alone movie although he didn't encounter a soon-to-be presidents down the hall to the left just like Macaulay Culkin drew headed to reception and checked in and I said my sister's coming and I just checking in early because she was going out he was a sweet young kid just like the one in home alone observation from Macalester a reservation for yourself think about it kid go into hotel making a reservation I don't think so and just like the movie they let drew in he threw the bag in his room and hit the town renting a motorbike you were actually driving the motorbike around please tell me you had a helmet yeah they gave one to me okay twelve years old and they gave it to you you don't have a license they just want the money no questions asked in Bali are they for the next four days he Wharf the streets did some shopping sightseeing took in the atmosphere Did you touch the minibar it wasn't okay that's good did you do anything that you shouldn't have done asides from the trip to Bali I drank a beer you did ever be weird you have that at the beach at the beach did someone in Bali actually sell you the bee yeah I really do have different rules over there don't I for each day he's come back to his room for a rest before hitting the beach restaurants and well whatever else did you then start to think how am I gonna get out of this house fingernails are gonna get home and then I don't know how about I sent someone my location and that's how mom called Fe he had been ignoring the frantic calls and messages from home on his mobile but perhaps when he posted a video of his antics in the pool the tracking device gave him up that's when I collapsed the police rang mom with the news worst words in my life they confirmed he left Australian waters four days previous the barley boy holiday was about to come to an abrupt end thanks to chief police commissioner we're a Jarrah the Australian police came to my office and mentioned about that issue that we were together proceed to the OL Cecil Hotel all the time to check and the hotel says there there was a teenager stay in the 1-1 fight Reuben I just went in a beige got back on so it was a polonaise police officer and it was pretty big too we had been waiting like a couple hours in the hotel together with the IFV and also the Consul General then he came back from the beach here he was in a bit when I came to the hotel he smile he is very nice is very cute as usual as a kid you know cute and cunning I was gonna get my stuff on the room yep then I locked myself in the room he put a chair under the door and closed all the windows it scared about the place officer was he was so big yeah a few minutes later they unscrewed the window and nabbed him they told us as a family to sit tight we'll bring him home I keep him in a special room in my stop room he stopped in the jail because he's a teenager we are not allowed to arrest and that he's not commit the crime also in Indonesia true had broken no Indonesian laws no one had a right to hold him or escort him to the airport for deportation AFP said we only had 24 hours otherwise they'll let him go because legally in Indonesian law he has done nothing wrong consular staff stayed in the police station with him overnight fearing he could leave of his own will at any time we're a mess you got a child in Indonesia by himself he's a savvy it's him riding motorbikes organizing his own little life over there mum and dad rushed to Bali unfortunately all direct flights were full and they too had to go via Perth but once in Perth with the clock ticking on that 24 hours jet star stopped them from boarding the international flight what they said to us we we couldn't go to get on the flight because we've got not a return ticket we've got to purchase one now and that's when my partner my former partner said well how did my twelve-year-old son get on a flight without being questioned and your question being asked as adults known was beside herself I was more distraught that things weren't moving on fast enough to get that that child back eventually sanity prevailed with the airline forcing them to sign a waiver on the ground they rushed to the cop shop what happened when mum and dad were coming down the corridor and you're sitting on that chair just like them walking in slow motion really I could see him through the window and he looked in looked at us as we were driving in and I just I think I broke that's a type I was broken by then did you get smack on the backside first or did you get a hug and a kiss then got a home off dad mom didn't do anything just angry we just wanted to know why how why why do you did this happen why did you want to leave so bad to go to Indonesia when we go every year anyhow oh yeah there was a lot of motion there all three of them checked into another hotel well you could imagine what she would have said to the staff at the All Seasons what kind of hotel allows a child to check in alone the boy had a very convincing story for the next two days he was never out of their sight and unlike the two boarding passes in this time they had three going out they've been back a few weeks now and it's starting to sink in he was never flagged I never done their job if they'd done their job this wouldn't have happened you've got to be 18 to vote you got to be 18 to drink yet you can be 12 and leave the country on your own yeah that's right and that's far more dangerous yeah that's right and to another country with different laws so easily fooling Polly our Australian police our Federal Police Customs everyone what about those other kids that have gone under right what about you know child trafficking I'm worried about now it doesn't kind of relate to us that you start thinking outside the box now do you know that things could have happened to you over there and you laughing cause realizing yeah cuz you're a smart kid there's no doubt about it I got a daughter who's one year younger than you and she wouldn't know how to leave our suburb let alone leave the country and go to another one so you're very Chloe but sometimes when you're this age I say this to my children you know you just don't know there's things in the world that happen it can happen to you and you know - yeah and we see it in adults you know there's bad men out there and they can do things to children you know you ever did these things ever conjure in your mind and you ever think of the dangers out there yeah you don't do you kids don't well we still are in shock we sit here just thinking how did this happen considering we screamed we begged for help tell me you'll never do this again oh you won't why cuz all getting a lot of trouble next on wishing the best thank you next time go on a caravan with mum and dad down the coast [Laughter] yeah Brady joins me now Brad you got to love that kid he is super bright but so naughty and he should never have made it out of the country oh he shouldn't have but you know he's such a likeable rogue you know first time I met him Tracey he shook my hand and he looked me in the eye and he said nice to meet you Brady and when I'd finished the day thank you very much for everything that happened a couple of times he was a lovely lovely fella he was a bit like that another movie analogy I'm sorry but a bit like Leonardo DiCaprio and catch me if you can he was he was likable but cunningly clever you know clearly clever you know I mean let's not forget though as you rightly point out he did use the family credit cards and he did takes the family passport absolutely you can say with your smiley face see the passport was under lock and key because he tried this twice before the passport was at Nana's place but he tricked Nana into handing over the passport the rest is history what is Jetstar doing to fix it system so this doesn't happen again well they were quite alarmed when we contacted them and as a result of that they've now decided to change their policy they're put new measures in place they say that will ensure that this doesn't happen again however they're looking at several options so that it's you know practical for parents who do use this system for 54 12 to 15 year olds all right and what happens what happened to the alert on his passport good question because you know what Russ you'd think that the Australian Federal Police and Border Protection they might have dealt with things like this in the past they say no we haven't it could never have happened when we told them about it they said no we never flagged drew we never put an alert on his passport even though they were actively involved in stopping it at the airport on the two previous attempts so that's rather strange but they're now told us that they too are working to review this system so that it doesn't happen again but I joined you as I hope Drew's not one step ahead alright thanks Thank You tres you

Channel: A Current Affair

Views: 1,839,185

Rating: 4.707664 out of 5

Keywords: A Current Affair, Interviews, nine news, holiday, real life home alone, stolen credit cards, breaking news, Celebrity, 9 News, 9news australia, sneak on the plane, smuggled, runaway, australian news, Entertainment, bali, catch me if you can, Tracy Grimshaw, stowaway, jetstar, airport security, ACA, 60 minutes australia, 60 minutes, free holiday, kid steals, real life stowaway, stolen credit card, 9news, indonesia, Tracey

Id: 8YO-2JsF-4M

Length: 17min 19sec (1039 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 13 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/StiffCrustySock]

Sweetheart, if YOU did your job as a parent, none of this would have happened in the first place. "A heart of gold and too intelligent." This is how I had mums describe their kids who were horrible students of mine in the past. I'm calling bullshit.

[u/PM_WHY_YOU_DOWNVOTED]

'And could your child do it too?' No a current affair, you fucking morons. The kid did it because he was raised poorly, not because there's a loophole in the system.

[u/TheChrono]

This story is hilarious. I'm convinced he could scooter his way out of any danger.

[u/Atheist101]

Since it was never made clear, Jetstar's policy is the following: https://www.jetstar.com/us/en/help/articles/young-passengers-travelling-alone

You need to be 12+, enrolled in secondary school and have a passport. With all those 3 things, a 12+ year old kid can fly solo without a parent anywhere in sight if, like the kid above, uses a self check-in machine