The car driven by balaclava-clad teenagers was driven on the wrong side of the motorway twice in a matter of minutes
The fatal head-on road crash happened at around 3am on the M9 northbound near Castledermot, Co Kildare (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Five balaclava-wearing teenagers who were killed in an M9 tragedy on Sunday drove a ‘stolen’ BMW on the wrong side of the motorway twice within minutes.
Police in County Kildare, Ireland, confirmed five teenagers died at the scene of the horrific crash which also left another four people seriously injured.
Irish police (Gardai) did not pursue the car each time it was driven at oncoming traffic, but officers were aware of its movements on the M9, reports the Irish Mirror.
“Members disengaged the first time it went down the road the wrong way – and didn’t get a chance to engage the second time,” a source said this evening.
It has also emerged that the occupants of the high-powered BMW were all wearing balaclavas or masks when it collided head-on with an innocent family’s car in the crash on the M9 in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Sources reveal that the crash scene was so devastating that gardaí initially believed only four teenagers had perished in the collision, as that number were visible within the wreckage of the BMW.
It was not until late in the afternoon, when specialists moved the vehicle from the scene, that gardaí discovered the fifth body beneath the car.
Sources have further indicated that gardaí are working on the theory that the car the teenagers were travelling in had been stolen in Athy, Co Kildare earlier that morning.
Gardai at the scene on the M9 northbound at Junction 3 in Co Kildare, where a number of people have died and others have been seriously injured after a head-on collision between two cars (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)
Officers had reportedly been alerted to a gang of teenagers attempting to break into cars and houses in the town during the early hours — some time before the fatal crash occurred. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly this evening released a strongly worded statement regarding the crash, as two separate investigations were launched into the tragedy.
One inquiry into the collision itself is being conducted by An Garda Síochána, while independent policing watchdog Fiosrú is also examining the incident.
That investigation concerns any potential interactions gardaí may have had with the vehicle in the moments leading up to the crash, which occurred near the Moone and Athy motorway exit at approximately 3am.
The collision came just a week after a comparable incident on Dublin’s M50, when a stolen vehicle careered into an innocent motorist’s car in the early hours of the morning.
Much like this weekend’s devastating crash, that vehicle was also travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Mr Kelly stated that the crashes highlighted just how reckless it was to drive against the flow of traffic — something young criminals are increasingly doing in the knowledge that gardaí will not pursue them.
Mr Kelly said: “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.
“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong-side of the motorway is.
Gardai inspect the wreckage (Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images)
“That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.
“As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that Gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users.
“Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents. As always, An Garda Síochána will fully cooperate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.
“My thoughts are also with all members of An Garda Síochána and the emergency services who had to deal with this awful incident this morning. Such incidents show the difficult work we ask our Gardaí to undertake every day to keep our communities safe.”
The Irish Mirror learned that the terrifying sequence of events commenced approximately 30 minutes before the collision, when gardaí first noticed the BMW behaving suspiciously.
Officers spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but it swiftly accelerated onto the motorway, travelling against oncoming traffic — prompting them to immediately stand down from pursuit.
It is believed the car subsequently performed a U-turn, rejoining the M9, though on this occasion travelling in the correct direction. The vehicle then exited the motorway at Junction 2A — a filling station and food area.