Sam Dutcher’s Runaway Honda

On September 17, 2024, an 18-year-old man named Sam Dutcher was driving a 2022 Honda Pilot in North Dakota when the car malfunctioned and began accelerating on its own. Dutcher tried to shut the vehicle off, brake, and use the emergency brake, but nothing worked, and the Honda hit 113 mph as it carried him across state lines into Minnesota during a terrifying 20-minute drive. Deputies and troopers stayed on the phone with him, tried other ways to stop the SUV, and finally decided on a controlled collision before the road ended at a dead end. A Minnesota State Trooper got in front of the Honda; Dutcher struck the rear of the patrol car on purpose, and the maneuver brought both vehicles to a safe stop without serious injuries.

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