Teens Playing Pokemon GO Inadvertently Cross US–Canada Border

Teens Playing Pokemon GO Inadvertently Cross US–Canada Border
7/24/2016
Updated:
7/24/2016

Two teens mistakenly crossed the U.S.-Canada border while absorbed in the augmented reality game Pokemon GO, says the U.S. Border Patrol.

The teens were spotted by border patrol officers during the evening of July 21 traveling from the Canadian side into U.S. territory. The pair were on their cellphones playing Pokemon GO when agents “quickly determined in the field that the juveniles were unaware of their surroundings.” 

The siblings were briefly detained near Sweet Grass Montana, which borders the town of Coutts, Alberta, while their mother was contacted, reported The Associated Press.

Agents then released the children to their mother at the Border Patrol station.

Patrol agents declined to release the teenagers’ names, ages or describe what sort of terrain they crossed.

“Both juveniles were so captivated by their Pokemon GO games that they lost track of where they were. They crossed the international border inadvertently, but agents were able to reunite them with their mother.” stated Public Affairs Officer Michael Rappold.

Pokemon GO, a game that leads users to real life locations to collect virtual Pokemon, has led to string of accidents due to its distractive nature, including a police car crash in Baltimore last week.