A 9-year-old boy with a history of stealing cars and running away sneaked onto a plane bound for Texas, getting caught after missing an airport connection, officials said.

Semaj Booker apparently found a Southwest Airlines boarding card and made it through airport security on January 15, hopping two separate flights but landing in San Antonio, Texas short of his Dallas destination, police said.

On January 17, the fourth-grader remained in juvenile custody in San Antonio. He had been trying to get to his grandfather in Dallas, where he used to live.

In a statement, the airline said a young man approached the ticket counter at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport requesting a boarding pass and said his mother was already in the boarding area.

"The young man's information matched a paid, ticketless reservation for the flight. Based on the information he gave us, he was issued a boarding pass," the airline said.

Semaj was not listed as a child because he told the agent he was 12 years old, Southwest said.

Airline employees stopped him from boarding another flight from San Antonio to Dallas when he could not explain why he did not have a boarding pass, said David Hebert, spokesman for the San Antonio International Airport.

Unhappy Move

The boy was unhappy after his family moved to Washington state.

His attempts to return to Texas began on January 14 when he stole a car that was left running outside a neighbor's house.

Police spotted Semaj and chased him at speeds up to 145 kph until he took an exit and the engine blew. The car went over a curb and coasted into a tree.

Semaj refused to get out, so officers broke a window to unlock a door and immediately recognized him, Lakewood police officer David B. Guttu said.

He was released to his mother, but he ran away again, authorities said.

His mother, Sakinah Booker, said she believes he learned to drive from playing racing video games on a PlayStation.