Texas driver Victor Chavez arrested for allowing 12-year-old to joyride on top of SUV

A Texas driver was arrested after being caught with a 12-year-old joyriding on top of his SUV — and the suspect told cops he forgot the child was on the roof.

Victor Chavez, 20, was charged with child endangerment after allowing his young acquaintance to sit on top of his car while he drove 15 to 20 mph down a feeder road in Houston on Sunday.

Chavez told Harris County deputies that he forgot the child was sitting on top of the vehicle as they cruised down the local road that runs beside the Gulf Freeway, according to WAFB.

“You know how fast people are riding on feeder roads, so if that little 12-year-old would have fallen, he could have easily been run over and killed,” Constable Jerry Garcia said.

A feeder road is a local term used in the Houston area to describe streets to run parallel to larger highways.

The 20-year-old and the boy reported knew each other and the older of the two invited the boy out for the night.

If convicted, Chavez faces a jail sentence and up to a $10,000 fine, according to police.

The incident has been reported to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a statement released by police.

Police said the incident was connected to a large gathering at a nearby parking lot where people drive recklessly, “doing their spinouts and burnouts,” the constable said, according to ABC 13.

“People line up on the side, and they watch them. It’s a kind of entertainment for them, but they don’t realize the danger involved. These aren’t professional drivers; they can lose control and kill someone. It’s happened before,” he said.

Store owners are complaining about the weekly meetups, which leave broken beer bottles and trash in their lot and force customers away.

“Maintenance comes once a month, but this happens every week. We are the ones who have to clean it up,” one employee told ABC 13. “Every morning in front of our spot, we clean about 20 to 30 beer bottles.”

A new law — which went into effect on September 1 — allows police to impound vehicles associated with street racing.

“We aren’t playing. We will seize their vehicles, we will take them to jail, we will write tickets, tow cars, and I promise you, we will do it again,” Constable Garcia said.