Griffin Haire stayed connected with relatives as a stranger allegedly drove away in his Mini Cooper and refused to stop for police.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A routine call about a set of missing car keys became a live account of an alleged kidnapping when 18-year-old Griffin Haire told his family that a stranger had entered his Mini Cooper and was driving him across Charlotte, according to police and local news reports.

Haire, who has autism, had stopped at a Circle K at 421 Tyvola Road while traveling home on June 25. Authorities said Amanda Gills, 44, got into the car and drove away while Haire remained inside. Over roughly 40 minutes, his family tracked the trip through his phone calls and passed his changing location to 911. Police later found the car, followed it with help from a helicopter and arrested Gills after Haire escaped. She was charged with second-degree kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle and fleeing to elude arrest in a motor vehicle. The accusations remain allegations, and available reporting does not show that the case has reached a final disposition.

The episode began at about 6:20 p.m., when Haire stopped for gas on Tyvola Road. His father, Dave Haire, told WSOC-TV that his son called and said he could not find his keys. That detail initially made the situation sound like an ordinary roadside problem. Moments later, however, the call changed. A woman’s voice could be heard near Griffin Haire, and his father realized that someone he did not know had taken control of the car. A dash camera inside the Mini Cooper recorded parts of the encounter, while Haire’s open phone connection gave his relatives a second way to follow what was happening in real time.

The recorded exchange showed Haire asking the woman who she was and telling her that he was afraid of strangers. The woman identified by police as Gills responded that she was his designated driver and claimed that he was under the influence, according to portions of the recording aired by local television stations. No available police or news account said Haire was impaired. Instead, investigators described the encounter as an apparently random carjacking. The woman also told Haire she would show him a good time and take him through an older part of Charlotte, the recording showed. Haire repeatedly expressed fear as the car continued away from the gas station.

Throughout much of the ride, Haire remained on the phone with family members. He gave them information about where the car was traveling, and they relayed the turns to emergency dispatchers. Police records cited by local broadcasters indicated that the Mini Cooper traveled from Tyvola Road toward Independence Boulevard and later reached the area of W.T. Harris Boulevard. Those roads cut across large sections of Charlotte, making the family’s continuing updates important as officers tried to locate a small moving vehicle in evening traffic. The call also allowed Haire’s father to hear the woman speaking and to recognize the fear in his son’s voice.

Dave Haire said the connection eventually dropped, adding another period of uncertainty for the family. By then, however, officers had enough information to continue searching for the car. Griffin Haire’s ability to describe his surroundings and remain connected had turned the family into a link between the passenger seat and police communications. The family did not know whether the driver would stop voluntarily, where she intended to go or whether Haire would have another opportunity to leave. Authorities have not publicly identified a confirmed motive for the alleged abduction, and reporting on the case has not established that Gills and Haire knew each other before the encounter.

Police eventually spotted the Mini Cooper and tried to conduct a traffic stop. Haire recognized an officer and told the driver to pull over, according to the dash-camera excerpts. Police said Gills instead continued driving, leading to the fleeing charge filed against her. A police helicopter monitored the vehicle from above as officers followed its movement on the ground. The aerial surveillance reduced the need for officers to remain immediately behind the Mini Cooper at every turn, but the presence of Haire inside made the situation especially sensitive. Authorities have not released a full pursuit report or complete dash-camera recording explaining every decision made during the response.

The trip ended near East W.T. Harris Boulevard and North Tryon Street. Accounts differ slightly on whether the car had fully stopped or was still moving slowly when Haire got out. Law enforcement reporting cited by Law&Crime said the driver slowed and Haire jumped from the vehicle. ABC11 reported that the Mini Cooper stopped at the intersection and that Haire jumped out into traffic. Both accounts agree on the central fact: Haire separated himself from the car before officers moved in. Police then conducted a felony traffic stop and took Gills into custody. No serious injury to Haire was reported in the accounts reviewed for this article.

His father later focused on the decisions Haire made while frightened. He stayed on the call, described where he was going, watched for officers and acted when he saw a chance to escape. Dave Haire told WSOC-TV that the incident represented one of the family’s worst fears but said he was proud of his son for being brave. That reaction framed the ordeal not only as a police pursuit but also as a family emergency managed minute by minute from different locations. Haire’s phone and the vehicle’s dash camera preserved two separate records of an event that otherwise unfolded inside a moving car.

Police arrested Gills on allegations that she unlawfully confined Haire, took his vehicle and failed to stop for officers. Second-degree kidnapping under North Carolina law is a serious felony accusation, but a charge is not a finding of guilt. Public reporting immediately after the arrest said Gills was being held in the Mecklenburg County jail and also faced probation-related matters. A later Mecklenburg County mugshot listing dated July 17 identified probation violations, including an out-of-county violation. The available public reports do not explain how those matters relate to the June 25 allegations, and they do not establish the outcome of any hearing.

The evidence described publicly includes the car’s dash-camera footage, phone communications with Haire’s family, police location information and the circumstances of Gills’ arrest. Those materials could help establish the route, the statements made inside the vehicle and whether the driver refused a lawful attempt to stop her. The complete recordings and charging documents were not available in the reports reviewed, leaving several questions unanswered. Authorities have not publicly explained how the car was started after Haire reported losing his keys, how Gills came to be at the gas station or what she intended to do after leaving the area.

Haire was safely reunited with his family after the arrest. No later ruling resolving the kidnapping, vehicle-larceny or fleeing charges could be independently confirmed from the sources reviewed as of July 30. The case therefore remains an allegation moving through the legal system, while the 40-minute phone connection remains the clearest public account of how Haire’s family helped police follow the car until he was able to get out.

Author note: Last updated July 30, 2026.