Five teenagers killed in a wrong-way motorway crash had been 'terrorising' communities in the days before the collision, according to security sources. The group, aged 15 to 18, died when their stolen BMW collided head-on with a family car on the M9 in County Kildare on Sunday morning.
Victims and Circumstances
The deceased have been named as Joey Carthy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O’Brien, Jack Kennedy and Kamil Pustkowski. All five were suspected of involvement in several thefts and burglaries, as well as other anti-social activities across Kildare and Carlow over the previous two weeks. They often posted videos of themselves being chased by gardaí, with one clip showing the view from their rear mirror captioned 'wrong way'.
Each was wearing a mask when their bodies were recovered from the wreckage, the Daily Mail reports. Security sources told the newspaper that the teenagers were part of a growing number of youths trying to 'one up' each other in dangerous videos posted to social media.
Police and Community Impact
'These young guys have been terrorising communities for weeks if not longer,' one source said. 'They did not care if they were caught as they knew they were underage and that there was little the courts system could do with them. It’s becoming a growing social media trend and it’s been a nightmare for gardaí to police because they are often ordered to stand down from pursuits because of the danger that chasing these guys could put the public in.'
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly had earlier said that 'in some cases' cars were being driven the wrong way down motorways for social media likes. The crash has renewed focus on the dangers of reckless driving and the influence of social media on young people.
Injuries and Reaction
In the other car, sisters Niamh and Alma Kinsella, both in their 30s, younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, and Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi all suffered serious injuries. Taoiseach Micheál Martin expressed shock and sadness, calling the crash 'an irresponsible and dangerous act'.
'This is the second appalling crash we’ve seen on our roads in a matter of days as a result of the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway, endangering the lives of innocent road users,' Mr Martin said. 'As the Garda Commissioner has said, it is an irresponsible and dangerous act and it is shocking in some cases that it is being done for likes on social media.'
Mr Martin added: 'My thoughts and prayers are with the family who have been injured. I wish them a full recovery. The lives of five teenagers have also been lost as a result. Every death on our roads brings untold grief to families and communities. There can be no tolerance for this reckless behaviour that we have seen on our roads recently. It must stop.'
