Investigators' new theory after five teens die in M9 wrong-way crash

Investigators looking into a horrific crash in Ireland which has left five teenagers dead and four other people hospitalised suspect the teens who died driving the wrong direction on a motorway had tried stealing cars earlier that night.

Garda Síochána, Ireland's primary police and security service, said a black BMW involved in the crash had contained Jeremy O'Brien, 18, Alex McCarthy, 17, Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17.

While investigators had initially thought the BMW to be stolen, the Irish Independent reports that the gardai now believe it was bought for cash to be used as a company car.

Meanwhile, the Irish Times reports that in the hours before the crash the gardai received reports of men seen trying to break into homes and cars in Athy, and investigators have a theory that the men are the the same teenagers who were killed in the crash shortly afterwards.

Officers in a patrol car had requested the black BMW to stop at around 2am on Sunday (16 August), but the car sped away and was driving down the motorway in the wrong direction.

The five teens who died (Social media)

Gardai did not follow the car the wrong way down the M9 motorway due to their rules and guidance given the dangers involved with risking a head-on collision with an oncoming car.

The vehicle then did a u-turn and pulled into a service station in the Kilcullen area, before heading south on the northbound carriageway.

At around 3am on Sunday morning, the black BMW collided with a Hyundai carrying four people who had been travelling to Dublin Airport to fly to the UK for a family wedding.

The five teenagers in the BMW were killed in the crash, their bodies were taken to Naas General Hospital for post-mortem.

Those in the Hyundai, two women in their 30s in the front seats, a woman in her 20s and a seven-year-old boy, were taken to hospital in serious condition.

The incident took place near Moone (Google Maps)

At time of writing, the four passengers inside the Hyundai are still alive, the female driver and front seat passenger remain critically ill in Tallaght University Hospital in south Dublin.

The woman in the back seat remains in a serious condition but has moved hospitals, while the seven-year-old boy who was also in the back is being treated at Children’s Health Ireland in Crumlin, with reports from yesterday (Monday 17 August) suggesting that he has suffered a broken leg.

"An irresponsible and dangerous act"

Garda Representative Association vice-president John Joe O’Connell said there were 'numerous gangs' of boys and young men trying to outdo each other by driving the wrong way on a motorway and filming the results to post on social media.

Gardai now believe the black BMW the teenagers had been driving wasn't stolen (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the crash was 'an irresponsible and dangerous act', and condemned life-threatening driving 'being done for likes on social media' as he lamented the 'second appalling crash we've seen on our roads in a matter of days'.

A week before the fatal crash resulting in the deaths of five teenagers, there had been another crash on 9 August where eight teenagers drove a Toyota Yaris the wrong way down the M50 and collided with another vehicle, resulting in nine people being hospitalised.

Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said in a statement: "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.

Investigators are looking into whether the five teens were the same men people saw trying to break into homes and cars in Athy shortly before the crash (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

"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."