NewsWorld newsParentingSpanish police put out a warning to drivers after they were forced to track down a dad some 87 miles away from a petrol station, where he had left his son behind at night20:12, 31 Aug 2026A ten-year-old boy was stranded at a petrol station after his dad drive off without him and did not realise until police found him 87 miles (140km) away.‌The schoolboy got out of the car at a service station near Aldea del Cano, in western Spain, at around 8.30pm on Sunday. The young boy however was left behind at the forecourt after CCTV caught the car pulling away while the 10-year-old lad was stood alone at the petrol station. His dad, seven-year-old brother and a family friend had reportedly been in the vehicle at the time.‌Staff at the petrol pump called the police who rushed to find the little boy's family.‌Officers tracked down the car via a police control centre and worked out that the dad, brother and family friend were driving north towards the city of Salamanca, according to Sur.Cops rushed to search the A-66 motorway, which runs from the bottom of Spain right to Gijon in the very north of the country. Around an hour and a half after the 10-year-old boy was ditched police finally found the car 140km from the forecourt and pulled it over, at about 11pm.The vehicle was stopped near the town of Hervás and police said the dad was unaware his son wasn't with him until officers told him. Spanish police reunited the father and son that night.‌The Guardia Civil warned drivers to make sure they check their cars before driving off to avoid an incident like this one, as a spokesperson said: "A simple head count can prevent a huge scare."This comes after a boy, seven, was allegedly left behind by his dad on Japan's famous Mount Fuji after the parent became too tired, according to Japanese media reports.Police were called to the Fujinomiya Trail, on the Shizuoka side of Japan's highest mountain, at around 7.40am local time on August 20 after an employee at a mountain hut reported a child had been left alone.Article continues belowThe seven-year-old was reportedly found sitting on a bench near a hut, around 8,170ft (2,490m) above sea level.The young boy was climbing the mountain with his father and two other people but the kid told police that he was "tired" and that his "dad went ahead", telling him to "wait there", according to Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi.Police found the boy's father and issued him with a warning before they returned the child him, according to reports.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌SpainGuardia CivilParenting