Norwegian 14-year-old steals a fourth bus but will not face trial

A 14-year-old in Norway has allegedly stolen four buses in less than a year, including one he drove 300 kilometers to Kristiansand.

Police detained the boy in Oslo on Friday, Aug. 28, after a passenger waiting at a stop noticed that a child appeared to be behind the wheel. Another minor was traveling on the bus. Officers quickly stopped the vehicle and found that the driver was 14 and too young to hold a license.

The teenager was already known to police. In November 2025, he took a bus from a depot in Stavanger and drove around the city for three hours. In April, he stole another vehicle in Vestby, traveled more than 200 kilometers and reached Sweden, where authorities detained him. Less than a month later, he allegedly took an articulated bus in Oslo and drove it 300 kilometers to Kristiansand.

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It is a serious matter that he had such easy access to a bus.

The latest theft and unlicensed driving will not lead to a criminal trial because the boy is too young to face criminal responsibility. His first bus theft initially went undetected because he returned the vehicle himself. Police later learned about it after he posted a video of the journey online.

Sandnes police station commander Magnus Jåtun said the teenager's easy access to a bus represented a serious problem. He also said starting one without damaging it required more knowledge than simply finding a key.

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It is not as if you only have to find the key. I do not know where he got enough knowledge to start the bus without damaging it.